DARK DECEIVER
by JFrost
Summary: Darien and the girls have died, and Serena has been left on her own to deal with the pain of their deaths. With the help from those still close to her, she finds the strength to move on. But apparently nothing is what it seems.
1. Chapter 1

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: Hey everyone, here's the start of my new story. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Hope you find it intriguing.

* * *

The wind picked up, blowing dried crunchy leaves through the air in uncharacteristically cold dance that cared nothing for the people walking along the grey cement path. All sound was captured by it, drifting into an unknown and inaccessible place somewhere high above them.

Serena sighed softly, her blond hair blowing across her, forever shiny and clean. Her blue eyes were pools of sadness and her pale skin contrasted greatly with the blood red roses she held in her arm. The delicate petals moved with the wind, but held on to the stems in fervent determination.

Seiya walked steadily beside her, holding her hand both tightly and gently. His long black hair also caught up in the wind and the long coat covering his tall frame pressed against him.

This part of the park had become deserted ever since that day.

The two walked right up to the area set aside for sight seeing. The metal railing jutted out, stopping any human from falling the hundreds of feet down into the water below. The city sprawled out in front of them in all its glory.

Serena took a deep breath, feeling the cold seep into her lungs.

"Can you wait here?" She said looking up at Seiya.

He looked down at her, concern and caring evident in his eyes. He nodded gently, kissing the hand he held firmly before letting her go. He stepped away to lean against the strong railing, watching her movements in the wind.

Serena walked the distance to the end of this little alcove, feeling the tears well up in her eyes again. She reached up and held the railing, looking out over the city. This is where it had happened. This was where she had seen them for the very last time.

She took a deep breath, unwrapping the flowers she held in her hand. They were perfect. Long green stems with dark jagged leaves and velvety soft petals. She grasped one tightly in her hand, ripping the petals from the stem. She held her hand out over the rail, letting the wind catch the petals as she let them go and watched them drift around the air, falling slowly towards the water.

She put the rest of the flowers at her feet, weighting them down so they wouldn't fly away. The city was so unusually silent. It seemed so fitting.

"It's been three years now," she said in a sad voice. The words drifted into the wind and she wished they could hear her. She smiled at the thought of them, hoping they were happy. "You'd be proud of my Amy, I got into college."

Her smile faded briefly as tears sprang to her eyes. "I start next week," she continued, trying to seem happy. "Everything is still fine Raye. Chad is still with your grandfather at the temple, so he has support. I go as often as I can, but……well anyways….." She faltered. "Mom taught me how to make her lemon pie so I made one by myself the other day. Lita, I didn't burn a single thing. I know you can't believe it, but it's totally true. It even tasted good." She laughed despite herself. "Mina, the volleyball team won the championships this year and dedicated the award to you. Your picture is in the gym now, and the trophy has your name on it. It's in the display case. I made sure they picked a good picture. You look really cute."

Serena looked back at Seiya briefly, seeing him watching her patiently. She looked away.

"I love you Darien," she said unable to hold her tears in any longer. "Every day, you're the first thing I think of when I wake up, and every night I see you before I fall asleep. For my whole life, you'll be the one who has my heart." She hesitated. "But I truly believe that if you could speak to me, you would……..you would tell me to be happy."

Serena gripped the railing tightly trying to steady herself.

"I'm never going to forget you, I promise you that. I'll think of you every day. But…….I'm going to move one. There's……….there's someone else. He loves me very much," she said sadly. "At first I hated the idea of moving on without you. When the girls told me that the pain would fade, I didn't believe them. You and the girls were the most important people in my life. When I lost you, I lost a huge part of myself. But the days aren't as hard anymore. I still have people who love me and they want me to be happy again.

I'm not going to come back here," she said softly. "Not again. I want you all to know that I love you, more then anything, but I have to move forward. There may come a day when Sailor Moon is needed again, and I have to be ready to fight without all of you. I know that I can, but I wish I didn't have to. I wish none of this had happened. I wish that all of you were still here with me."

She nearly broke down in tears. She tried to keep as calm as possible.

"What I'm trying to say is…….this is goodbye."

She felt Seiya come up behind her and gently wrap his arms around her, allowing her to cry into him. He didn't say anything, he just stayed with her. The wind picked up again, bringing a biting cold with it. The roses on the ground caught the wind savagely, but refused to move.

"Let's go," Serena said softly.

Seiya nodded, taking her hand again and leading her gently out of the park. The light of the day was slowly fading and the dark clouds moved quickly over head.

He pulled her gently into the crown café and out of the cold.

Andrew smiled at them as they came in.

"I made you some tea," he said softly.

Serena sat down in the booth across from him, and sipped the hot tea carefully, warming her cold body. The three sat silently for a moment, Seiya rubbing her back gently and looking at her with concern. She tried to smile at him, but failed.

"I'm going to go for a walk," he said kindly. "I'll come back for you in twenty minutes."

Serena just nodded as he got up, leaving her with Andrew.

"Where did you go?" He asked.

"To where they died."

Andrew nodded. "I went to the graveyard."

Serena sighed, looking at the table in front of her. The smooth shiny surface was like a mirror, and she could see the heavy shadow under her eyes.

"What did you tell them?" He asked.

Serena shrugged. "I said goodbye."

"Do you think they understand?"

"I do," she said softly. "When they died, there were no hard feelings anywhere. I don't regret anything I said to them before this happened. For the first time, we were all in a place of complete peace. I think they'd want us to get back there somehow."

"Did you tell Darien about Seiya?"

"Sort of," she said. "I said goodbye, but I didn't use any names."

"But you have decided to let him in, haven't you?"

"I think so," she answered. "He's been there for me through all of this. He stayed with me when I was devastated and crying all night. He's come with me every year to talk to them and he keeps his phone on for those middle of the night phone calls. He's been great to me."

Andrew nodded. "Darien might understand," he said.

Serena shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He's not here."

Andrew reached across and held her hand tightly in his, smiling encouragingly at her. "You're doing the right thing Serena."

"I know," she said. "But it still doesn't feel right. It's been three years and part of me still thinks they're going to turn up. I know that they're dead, but sometimes I can still feel them. I saw it with my own eyes and yet I can't truly believe it."

"But how long are you willing to wait to find out?"

"If they're alive, I'd wait forever. Because they're dead, I know that waiting will achieve nothing."

"I'm here for you, you know that right?"

Serena nodded. "It's just sometimes hard to talk to you, knowing how close you were to him."

"I know. I want you to be with him and part of me will never be able to like that idea of you and someone else, but I'm still here."

By the time Seiya came back, Serena had pulled herself back into control. She smiled at him and he hugged her tightly before shaking hands with Andrew politely.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

She nodded and gave Andrew and sad look. He hugged her gently, like a brother consoling his grieving sister.

They walked out of the arcade together, hand in hand.

* * *

It felt like the world was passing him by. Time had no meaning. He felt as if he had spent a lifetime like this, prickling and burning from within, conscious only of the pain he felt coursing through him. He was completely numb, and yet on the verge of feeling. He was alone, he was sure of it. The sounds around him were silently deafening and he was sure the he would have screamed if he knew how.

This was the first time in what seemed like forever that he found himself fully conscious of it having been so long. He felt stiff and sore, as if he had been attacked and was just now waking up with a body full of injuries. Was he in the hospital?

A voice seemed to snap at him harshly, and he stiffened as a sharp pain jolted through his upper stomach. His eyes saw white.

"Get up!"

The voice ricocheted through his mind, searing him with lightning.

He grunted as the woman kicked him again, hitting his chest with a resounding thud. He took a breath, and it felt like he hadn't breathed in days. Each muscle of his chest pulled painfully as his lungs expanded, making him wince.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

The light was brighter then the sun, but not warm. He squinted, feeling pain through his eyes.

"I said get up!"

Darien felt her grab his shoulders, realizing that he wasn't wearing a shirt as her sharp nails dug into him. He pushed himself up onto his hands, forcing himself to shake into consciousness. He couldn't remember what was going on. Why was he in so much pain? Why did he feel as if he'd been unconscious for weeks?

Slowly, the image of the woman formed in front of him, tall and thin. She had long hair, drifting far below her hips in deep blue waves like the ocean. She wore a tight one piece suit that stopped mid thigh and covered only a small portion of her shoulders with thin straps. He didn't know her.

"Who are you?" He asked, feeling his voice croak out raggedly.

"It doesn't matter," she said haughtily. "My mistress has something to show you."

Darien felt throbbing through his head and wanted to lie down, but the cold stone ground wouldn't provide any kind of comfort. He looked around the small room he was in, noting the steel bars and thick walls. He was in a cage. The rawness of his ankles and wrists told him he had been tied up.

His heart quickened as he thought of Serena. Was she in danger? Did they have her as well? Panic set in and he desperately tried to remember what had happened. A flash of white seared through his vision along with a very recognizable scream and he felt his breath catch in his chest. Where was she?

"Come on," the woman said sharply, pushing him unceremoniously towards the open door of the cage. The movement caused every muscle in his body to stretch painfully. He was so stiff. How long had he been lying there? The numerous injuries running across his body seemed both old and knew. What was going on?

Darien wanted desperately to do something, but he knew somehow that at this moment he was helpless. His body was to damaged to fight for very long, and he had nothing on him to help. The woman walking behind him radiated power and even though he wasn't frightened, he still knew that he couldn't win.

When they finally got to a large open room, his heart stopped completely.

He looked at them, lying on the floor, groggily pushing against their restraints. All four of them looked just as haggard and sore as he felt. But Serena wasn't there. He couldn't decided whether that was good or bad.

Amy noticed him first.

"Darien?" She said in surprise.

The other three girls looked at him surprised. He took a step towards them.

He cried out as something connected painfully with his cheek, and he felt his jaw jar painfully as he fell to the floor. He heard the girls cry out in alarm.

He pushed himself up, feeling hot searing pain spread across his face.

He looked up at the girl who had brought him in. She stood there, smiling down at him.

"Any attempt to misbehave, and you will be punished."

Darien looked at the staff she was holding, cursing its existence. He rubbed his cheek, trying to stop his eyes from watering from the sudden pain. The girls met his eye, and he stood up as tall as he could. They look frightened.

"He's ready your majesty," the girl said happily.

Darien looked over to the person walking into the room, and his heart sank. He didn't know her, but he could feel her. The black presence that surrounded her penetrated him, and he could see the same feeling reflected in the eyes of each girl shacked on the floor in front of him. Something had happened. Something serious. The woman had black hair, that matched his own, and eyes stormier then the sea. If you had met her on the street, she might have been mistaken for his sister. She was tall and thin, and wore a silk dress of the deepest black. Unlike many of the enemies they had faced, she was well covered. She was darkly beautiful and it scared him.

"Welcome," she said softly. "You've been a guest here so long, and yet I've never seen your eyes. They really are quite beautiful."

She walked towards him, moving slowly and deliberately.

Darien squared his shoulders. She couldn't scared him that easily.

"How long?" He asked.

She seemed amused that he would ask her a question. "You'll see."

Darien found himself pushed again towards the girls, and fell painfully to his knees. He grunted at the impact, and knew that he didn't have enough energy left to stand. He looked at Lita who was the closest to him, and the fear in her green eyes startled him. She held on to Amy protectively, and Mina and Raye behind her struggled to get up. They couldn't. They all looked weak and thin, like they had been starved for months. Months?

"I've been waiting a long time," the woman said smiling. "All this time I've watched her, waiting for the time when I could hurt her most. I've kept you here, waiting for her to give up on you. Honestly, I thought it would be sooner."

They looked at her, shaking and confused.

"I wanted her to learn to stand up by herself," she continued. "She's been counting on all of you for so long, she wouldn't last two minutes in a fight by herself. And that just wouldn't be any fun for me."

"What are you talking about?" Raye said with anger in her voice. "Have you gone mad or something?"

Raye was rewarded with a echoing slap to the face.

"Get you hands off her," Lita almost growled.

She was hit with the solid staff. She cried out in pain as it connected with her side.

"That's enough," the woman said lightly. "It doesn't really matter anymore anyways. She's finally given up on them, and so the future begins. We will know soon enough the true power of the moon and I expect it's not all it's supposed to be."

Darien looked up, feeling dread seep over him. Serena was in trouble. Whoever this woman was, she was after Serena and he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let someone attack her when she was alone and unprepared.

"Would you like to see her?"

Darien wasn't sure how to answer. The answer was of course yes. His heart pulled to her and he felt her pain. He wanted to see her. He wanted to know her. But what could he say.

"You better not have hurt her," Raye said in a low voice.

The woman laughed. "Not yet," she said happily. "But I will."

And then she was there. Are at least, they could see her. It was like they were suspended in the air, and they could almost reach out and touch her. Darien felt as if her were completely restrainted, holding him tightly so he couldn't move.

It was as if they watched her through clouds, not really there.

She stood at the edge of a point of view in the park, looking out of the railing. There were roses on the ground at her feet and the smell of petals in the air. Her beautiful blond hair swirled around her, and her eyes were pools of the saddest blue he could ever imagine. She looked older, taller. Her face was a little more mature then he remembered, and she stood sure and proud. She was beautiful.

And then she spoke. Her voice send shivers of delight through him. How long had it been since he'd heard her?

They all listened.

"It's been three years now," she said in a sad voice. She smiled slightly. "You'd be proud of my Amy, I got into college."

Darien felt his heart wrench. Three years? What had been three years? But soon he learned, and soon he felt dread seep into him as his eyes widened and he became completely still. Understanding dawned on him.

"I love you Darien," she said unable to hold her tears in any longer. "Every day, you're the first thing I think of when I wake up, and every night I see you before I fall asleep. For my whole life, you'll be the one who has my heart." She hesitated. "But I truly believe that if you could speak to me, you would……..you would tell me to be happy."

For a moment he didn't know what to think. His mind strained towards her, wanting to take away her pain.

"I'm never going to forget you, I promise you that. I'll think of you every day. But…….I'm going to move one. There's……….there's someone else."

It was if the world stopped.

He could hear his heart beating inside his chest.

"He loves me very much," she said sadly. "At first I hated the idea of moving on without you. When the girls told me that the pain would fade, I didn't believe them. You and the girls were the most important people in my life. When I lost you, I lost a huge part of myself. But the days aren't as hard anymore. I still have people who love me and they want me to be happy again.

Anger filled him then. It was uncontrollable and completely unexpected. It was anger that he had never felt before, and it scorched his very soul.

"What I'm trying to say is…….this is goodbye."

When he felt the hard stone floor under him again and the soft crying of the four girls in front of him, he lashed out.

Where the strength came from he would never know, but apparently they had been prepared for it.

The last thing he remembered before crashing down to the floor was the sharp call of alarm Amy gave off before something hit him. He saw Serena for a moment, with Seiya's arms around her, holding her protectively. And then it was all black.

* * *

End of Chapter One!!!!!

Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: Okay, I'm going to say this now because someone always has a comment about how I use half American names and half Japanese names. Here is my explanation. I like the American names better (I know, some people don't) except for the outers. I think the outer scouts have way better Japanese names. So I've used all the names I like best. This has nothing to do with the story, but just to explain.

So here's the next chapter. Thank you so much for all those who reviewed. I hope you like this chapter. I'll try to get the next one up in a few days (tomorrow if you're really good about reviewing!)

* * *

Darien pulled himself out of the nightmare surrounding him. His body still ached, as painfully as before. This time it seemed so much more real. He groaned despite his best efforts as he pushed himself over onto his back. His head throbbed painfully against his skull and he could feel that his hair was matted on the side, probably with blood.

He shivered as a breeze hit him and reached down to pull the blankets up around him.

He stopped for a moment, completely still.

Blankets?

Darien opened his eyes, but had to immediately close them again against the bright light. He raised his hand over his eyes, feeling every muscle through his shoulder strain painfully. He tried to open his eyes again, this time being careful.

The light slowly adjusted and he looked around in confusion.

He was in his room.

Darien took a steadily breath before forcing himself to sit up. Every part of his body rebelled against the act, but he made it move. He felt dried wounds pull against his skin and cringed. The sheets of his bed were smeared with blood and dirt, mostly dried. How long had he been here?

It took him forever to stand up, painfully.

What was going on?

He made his way to the bathroom, turning the light on as dim as possible. He stared at himself in the mirror.

He didn't know if he would have reacted even if he could bring himself to do it. The man that looked back at him was someone else. He hardly recognized his long shaggy black hair and gaunt looking face. He had a long dark bruise up the side of his cheek and dirt and blood caked on to his neck and hair. His bare chest was covered as well, a few abrasions just within view through the grime. He looked thin.

Three years, he remembered quietly. Three years. Three years of what?

He turned around to the shower and turned the water on as hot as he could stand and got in. What was left of his pants he threw in the garbage under the sink. The water ran red and brown down to the drain, taking with it the dirt that surrounded him.

It took a long time. He stood there, soaking in the water, letting it cleanse him. He could hardly even move enough to reach for the soap. His fingers didn't seem to want to work properly, like they were to stiff to move. But slowly, he washed away the layer of torture that covered him.

When he moved to his hair he cringed at the feeling of the wound causing the caked on blood. He was gentle around it, knowing that it was probably bad. He probably had a concussion as well.

When finally he felt clean and warm, he stepped out of the shower and didn't dry off. He didn't have the energy.

He walked back to his bed, naked, barely looking at the dirty sheets as he pulled them off his bed and collapsed onto the cover less mattress. He fell asleep almost instantly, feeling the softness of the mattress under him. And he dreamed of Serena. Over and over again, he saw her say goodbye. Every time, his heart broke painfully in his chest.

* * *

Serena smiled at Hotaru as she ran quickly away from them towards the water. The young girl, although still a little dark and mysterious, was finally living the life of a normal girl her age. It made Serena happy to think that she was having fun despite her unfortunate past.

"It is a beautiful day," Michiru said smiling into the sun. Haruka looked at her, smiling at the image she made. The taller girls blond hair was highlighted beautifully by the bright sun and her eyes took in all around.

"To think only a few days ago it was still so cold," Serena said.

"The cherry blossoms will be out soon," Michiru said. "Especially if it stays this warm for a couple of days."

"We should go for a drive later," Haruka said.

Michiru smiled fondly at her.

"I promise to meet Seiya later," Serena said.

The two girls beside her went quiet, and Serena was aware of it. She turned to look at them.

"Don't say anything," she warned.

They both looked away, but Haruka could only stay quiet a few minutes.

"You have no future with him."

"Haruka," Michiru warned.

Serena just sighed softly. "I don't have a future at all right now. Setsuna can't see anything. It's just all…….empty."

They didn't say anything for a moment and Hotaru laughed in the distance.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Serena finally asked.

"Because he's not the one for you."

"Haruka," Michiru warned again.

Serena lay back in the grass, trying to find a peace within her. Hadn't there been people against her being with Darien as well? She had fought for him and that had turned out right in the end. Until the end.

When she closed her eyes she could see his face, and it calmed her. But it was fading. She furrowed her brow as she tried to picture him. She could see his eyes, looking at he full of the deepest kind of love. She could see his smile when he laughed. She could even see they way his hair fell over his eyes. But it was getting harder to put that all together. Was she forgetting him? The thought unnerved her and caused waves of anxiety to roll through her. She couldn't forget him.

"We just want you to be happy," Michiru said.

"Do you?" She asked softly. "I'm allowed to be happy, I'm just not allowed to move on. But how can I be happy knowing that I've lost them? They're dead and there's nothing I can do about it."

They were silent.

"Seiya is a good friend to me and he's grown to be extremely important to me. I don't see why you can't just except that."

Again they were silent.

Serena cracked on eye open to look at them. They were looking down at her with concern written all over their faces. She just sighed and closed her eyes again.

* * *

This time, when Darien woke up, he felt numb. He breathed in deeply, feeling the air penetrate through him. When he pushed himself up he didn't feel so much pain as pure weakness. His muscles shook with the weight.

The light was completely gone. Darien looked around the room lit by the nighttime glow of the city. Part of him was surprised that he was still here. He ran hand over his chest, feeling oddly clean.

He thought of Serena.

Getting up, he stretched out. It felt good to stretch his muscles. The stiffness was slowly leaving him and the pain seemed somehow bearable. He pulled on his clothes, not caring which ones they were. Putting shoes and socks on felt strange, like he hadn't done it in years. Really he hadn't.

Everything in his apartment seemed exactly the same. It surprised him. Why hadn't anything changed in three years? Surely the building owner would have rented the apartment to someone else by now. He hadn't been around to pay for it. But there wasn't even dust on anything.

He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, thankful that it was on mute. The news came on, and the images looked like a restaurant had been robbed. But he didn't care. All he cared about was the date. Three years, almost exactly.

He grabbed his coat, still hanging over the chair where he had always put it, and quickly made his way out of the apartment. He had to see her. He had to make sure she was alright. He had to hold her and feel her in his arms again.

But where would she be?

He found that despite his injuries, he had enough adrenaline to push him forwards. The more he moved the more his muscles seemed to ease from their tension. He almost felt good again, like he had woken up after too long a sleep. The crown cafe came into his vision and he sprinted towards it, crashing through the doors.

The few patrons looked up at him surprised, and he didn't recognize the place.

Nothing was the same. The colors were different and the decor had been redone. The three waitresses working all wore the same uniform and held trays full of drinks and food. The one closest to him walked up.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Serena."

She looked confused. "Is that someone you're meeting here?"

"She comes here almost every day. She's got long blond hair that she wears in two buns. You'd know her if you saw her again."

She still looked confused.

"What about Andrew? Does he still work here?"

The confusion didn't leave her face. "There's no Andrew working here right now," she said.

Darien ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Okay thanks," he said.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly. "You look a little……are you hurt?"

Darien shook his head and walked outside again, not looking back. She wasn't there. Did she not hang around here anymore? It wasn't a surprise that Andrew had moved on. By now he would be finished paying for college and working towards his career. He had never intended to stay there very long.

He turned down the street and made his way quickly towards her house. It wasn't a long way, but he felt like it took him forever to get there. When he did, he felt his heart sink deep into his chest. The house was dark. Too dark. Nobody lived there anymore. He pressed his face into the glass window, looking into the empty space beyond. Had they moved?

He leaned against the house, trying to sort through his thoughts. He didn't understand what was going on. Where was she? What had happened to them all?

The girls!

Darien took off again, running towards the temple. The girls had been with him, wherever that place was. If they had been put back on earth as well and couldn't find Serena, they would convene there.

He took the steps three at a time, eager to see them. The cherry blossom trees where bare. Nothing seemed alive. He heard the sounds of sweeping and moved around the building to see the guy with shaggy brown hair moving slowly around the cement. He didn't remember his name.

"Have you seen the girls?"

The guy looked at him startled, and his eyes widened like he'd seen a ghost.

"You're…." He pointed.

Darien shook his head. "Have you seen them? Serena, I'm looking for Serena. If the girls are here they might know where she is."

He audibility gulped. "The girls died," he said. "Three years ago. I thought……well you look like…….Serena isn't here. Last time I saw her, she was with Seiya. You know, the guy from that band, the three lights. They've been dating I think so she's probably with him."

Darien felt like all breath had left him, unable to come back.

"Where?" He gasped out.

"I don't know," he said. "I think he lives near the stadium on main."

Darien turned around and walked away, but the guy yelled after him.

"Hey wait, are you him?"

"No," Darien yelled over his shoulder, not turning around.

This was too much. Everything had changed. He hardly remember what had happened. In fact he didn't remember what had happened. Serena was dating Seiya. The guy she had been friends with when he had gone to America. Hadn't he left? Why had he come back? They had only shared a few words, but he had thought the guy understood that Serena was his.

But was she? Three years was along time. Had she really moved on.

The stadium was across the city, so he jumped in a cab. He leaned his head against the headrest and felt his heart pounding in his chest. He was afraid. He was afraid that she was gone. All he wanted to do was see her again and make sure she was safe. Everything else he could figure out afterward.

The stadium loomed in front of him, big enough to hold thousands of people. It was even bigger then he remembered. How could he find her around here?

He jumped out of the cab and ran a few blocks, so that he was standing at the entrance. He looked around him, wondering what to do. Where would he live around here? There were high-rise apartment buildings everywhere. Hundreds of people live around here.

He felt hopelessness fall around him. He had to find her. But how? Maybe the police would give him her new address, or her school. But he didn't have time for that.

A tall blond haired man caught his attention.

He furrowed his brow. He recognized him. Where did he know him from? Darien wracked his brain, trying to put it together. And then he realized it. It wasn't a man.

"Haruka!" He yelled.

Darien sprinted towards the tall boyish woman walking away from him. She turned around and looked at him when he yelled at her, and her eyes widened in complete disbelief.

He came to a stop in front of her, breathing hard.

"Darien?" She breathed his name, like she didn't believe it.

Darien didn't know what to say to her. Obviously she was shocked and probably had a lot of question. Questions he didn't have time for.

"Where is she?" He asked.

Haruka moved in slow motion, trying to push herself back into the present. She shook her head and looked at him again, her eyes still wide. "What….?" She breathed.

"I'm really sorry, but I don't have time to explain right now. I need to see her."

"You look awful," she said finally moving away from his eyes.

Darien sighed. "I know."

"She's with Seiya," she said abruptly.

Darien felt the words hit him like a dagger, sharp and painful. He cringed slightly and she noticed. "I heard," he said. "I still need to see her."

Haruka nodded. "I just…….I'm not sure where they went. If they're at his place I don't know how to get there. Serena made sure never to give us his number."

"Are they on a date?"

"Yes," she said. "He was going to……" her eyes knitted in concentration. "He was going to take her to a movie I think. There's a theater just a few blocks away."

"Take me there," he said urgently.

She nodded and started walking towards it. Darien kept pace with her, wishing she would run. Couldn't she feel his urgency?

"It's really late," she said. "The movie might be done."

"Would she have gone home?"

"I……" she seemed to hesitated. "Maybe."

Darien clenched his hands into fists, trying to get his mind around this. It had been three years. It didn't feel like it to him, but it was only natural that she had moved on. The idea of someone else touching her sent shivers of anger through him that he couldn't control. Why had this happened?

The theater was practically deserted.

"We're meeting her first thing in the morning," Haruka said softly. "Why don't you come with me? Michiru will want to make sure you're taken care of. You look ready to collapse any moment Darien."

He wanted to keep going. He knew that she was somewhere. He wanted to cry in frustration. Why couldn't he find her?

"Is she alright?" He asked softly.

The tall girl beside him look at him softly, with those intense eyes that he remembered now. He could see her judging the question, wondering how to answer.

"I mean physically," he said.

She nodded. "Physically she's fine."

"I have to find the other girls," he said.

Her eyes widened again. "The girls, as in the scouts? Are they alive."

He sighed. "Yes. We are all alive."

"But she watched you die," Haruka said bewildered. "We all felt it. Your life was extinguished along with the girls. She watched you all fall."

"Well we didn't," he said.

"What happened?"

Darien sat down on a low stone wall and felt his body protesting all the energy he was wasting. What had happened? He had no idea.

"All I remember is waking up. I was taken to this room where the girls were chained to the floor. They all looked so weak and…..battered. There was this woman. I don't know who she was. She made us watch Serena say goodbye. I just……I don't understand why…..I just……she said it had been three years, but I don't remember any of it."

"You heard her say goodbye?" Haruka asked.

Darien nodded.

"But, she said…….she told me she said…..that she told you about Seiya."

"She did," Darien said.

"And you don't remember the last three years?"

He shook his head.

"Oh," was all she could say. She could see the pain running through him then.

"The woman said this was all a game, to get her to learn to fight on her own. She said when alone, the moon is not as powerful as everyone thinks it is. She was threatening Serena. She plans to attack her, I'm sure of it. I just don't know when."

"How did you get back?"

"I just woke up in my apartment," he explained.

Haruka looked around her, trying to decide what to do. Darien looked confused and hurt, and she was pretty sure he needed medical attention.

"Come on," she said standing up. "Serena still has her communicator. We don't have one, but I know how to get a hold of her. We can try calling her house as well. She might have gone home."

Darien stood up quickly, like he had just been given a new lead. He nearly pushed her in the direction she was going, full of energy and anxiety once again.

Haruka just went as fast as she could the few blocks to the house she shared with Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru. She could see the lights still on. Michiru would have waited up for her. The thought put a smile on her lips briefly before she felt his presence behind her again.

She opened the door and he all put pushed his way in.

"Haruka?"

Michiru came around the corner and stopped dead when she saw them. Her mouth hung open in a silent O of surprise.

"Do it," Darien ordered, looking at Haruka.

"Can you call and see if Serena is at home," she asked the still Michiru. It took a moment, but the girl nodded and quickly moved to the phone and dialed a number.

Darien waited with held breath as he could hear the phone ring.

"Hi Mrs. Tsukino," he felt his breath woosh out. "Is Serena at home?....... Oh, well if you see her can you ask her to call us…….Yes, it's important. Thank you."

She looked at Darien as she hung up, her eyes full of concern. "Are you…."

"I'm fine," he said harshly, but then sighed. "Sorry, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," she said bluntly.

"I just need to find her," he said almost desperately.

Michiru nodded and lead him into the small room where Haruka was typing away at a computer. There was a screen in front of her that was blank.

"She's not answering," the girl said slowly.

"Try again," Darien said.

"I've tried a few times already. She's not answering."

"Isn't that her way of communicating? Why wouldn't she answer?"

"Darien, she doesn't really use it anymore. Ever since the girls died there's been nobody on the other end and it's not practical for us to use it to get a hold of her. She doesn't expect it to ring. It hasn't in three years."

Daren felt his chest tighten. "What does that mean?" He asked with tears forming in his eyes. "Are you telling me, this late at night, she's with him?"

The two girls stared at him silently.

Darien all but fell against the wall, sliding down to the floor. The room spun around him and he felt a blackness taking him over again, but he fought against it.

The two girls watch him, not sure what to do.

"Darien, let me get you some help," Michiru said slowly.

He shook his head.

"I told you we're meeting her in the morning. Why don't you get some sleep and I'm sure she'll be fine."

Darien just nodded.

The room was silent for a moment.

So many thoughts swirled around his mind, all centering on Serena. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she really with this Seiya this late at night? What could she possibly be doing with him this late at night? The answer tried to penetrate his mind, but he fought violently against it. He couldn't believe that.

Darien looked up when a small shadow fell across him. He saw Hotaru standing in the doorway, her eyes understanding and amused.

The strange girl captured his attention, and he felt a calmness settled around him.

"Welcome back," she said simply.

Darien couldn't help but feel almost relived. "Thanks," he said softly, his eyes on her.

The young girl smiled and turned away, walking back towards wherever she had come from.

Darien stood up slowly, feeling a little calmer.

"I won't be able to sleep," he said to them.

Haruka nodded, understanding. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to try and calm down."

The two girls just watched him walk from the room, slowly. His tall frame was so much thinner then they remembered, and there was a serious looking wound on the back of his head.

"What should we do?" Michiru asked.

Haruka just stood still, not answering. What could she really say?

* * *

Serena smiled happily as she sat at the table, waiting for breakfast as patiently as she could. The smell was all around her and she could help but let her mouth water in anticipation. Yaten and Taiki came in and sat at the table with her.

"Sleep well?" Yaten asked her.

"Yeah," she said.

"That old couch is full of lumps, you should sleep in a bed next time."

"I don't mind," Serena said. "And besides, if I picked a bed, then one of you would have to be on the couch."

"Seiya wouldn't complain," Taiki said.

"Yes he would," Seiya said coming into the room with two plates full of pancakes, eggs and bacon. He put one down in front of Serena who smiled happily at it before digging in, and then sat down with the other plate for himself.

The other two guys looked at him.

"What?" He asked.

"You seriously didn't make us any?" Taiki looked a little disappointed.

"Are you a guest?" He asked.

"No, but……we're….." Yaten tried to think of something. "Well I don't know, at least friends."

Seiya just smiled. "It's in the kitchen."

It took only a second for it to sink in and the two guys bolted towards the kitchen.

Serena giggled. "Thanks for letting me stay over," she said.

"No problem," Seiya said smiling. "You know you're welcome here whenever, right?"

She nodded. "But still."

"What do you want to do today?"

"I'm meeting the girls in an hour," she said looking at the clock. "I promised them I would. I hope they don't know about me staying over here cause if they did they'd be pissed."

"Did you find out why they don't like me?" He asked.

Serena shrugged. "You're not Darien."

Seiya put his fork down, looking at her seriously.

"It doesn't matter," Serena said. "It's just taking them longer to move on."

He nodded, not returning to his breakfast.

"Do you want to get together tonight again?" She asked.

Seiya smiled lightly. "Sure," he answered as Yaten and Taiki came back into the room with plates full of food. Serena dug back into her meal, laughing with his two friends, and he just contemplated her quietly. Her blue eyes were happy, there was no denying that. But they were also sad. Was she still putting up a brave front? Did she still want only Darien? That man that had caused her so much pain over the years. He couldn't understand why she clung to him. This was not the first time he had left her. It was the first time he had died, but what difference did that make?

Seiya sighed and turned back to his breakfast slowly.

* * *

End of Chapter Two!!

Please tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the fast the next chapter will come up!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon.

Authors Notes: Thanks so much for the reviews guys. Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it. I'll try and get the next chapter up by this weekend. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Serena smiled happily into the sun. She felt better today then she had in a long time. It was like something had lifted off of her, and she was no longer weighted down to the earth. She almost felt like she could fly.

"You seem happy," Seiya said smiling at her.

"I am," she said easily. "Today is going to be a good day, I can feel it."

Seiya took her hand and couldn't help but let her happiness be infectious. This is how he remembered her. Before everything had happened, this is what she'd been like. Happy and carefree, like nothing could ever bother her.

Despite himself, he felt nerves flutter through his stomach. He didn't want to see Haruka and Michiru. It was fine that they didn't like him, but he still wanted to steer clear of them. When he saw the blond girl standing tall and lean in front of the stadium, he felt a small amount of anxiety fill him. Something was wrong. The two girls looked nervous and excited.

"Serena," Michiru said reaching out to pull the girl out of his grasp. She smiled kindly at her and her eyes held tears in them. "We have something to show you."

Serena smiled, but Seiya could tell she was nervous.

"We found him," Haruka said softly.

Serena's smile faded as the two girls seemed to step out of the way for someone. But nobody was there. Serena looked back at them confused.

"Who?" She asked.

Seiya watched the two taller girls look from Serena to……nothing. There was nothing there.

"Serena, you don't recognize him?" Michiru asked.

Serena looked at Seiya and he reached out and took her hand again. She stepped back to stand beside him. "What are you talking about?"

Haruka took a step before them, her eyes intense. She searched Serena, obviously trouble by something. She glanced at the air again, and then back at Serena.

"You can't see him?" She asked softly.

Serena looked frightened. Her eyes were wide as she pushed back into Seiya. He stood firm, trying to let her know he was there, but he didn't know what was happening any more than she did. He could feel her body shudder and quickly put an arm around her. This wasn't right.

"Who?" Seiya asked for her.

"Darien," Haruka said slowly.

Serena stiffened and Seiya felt the name hit them both like a wall. Her hand gripped his so tightly it hurt, but he didn't say anything. He just watched them all, trying to decide how to act.

"That's not funny," Serena said in a whisper.

"Serena, this isn't a joke," Michiru said. Her eyes followed something, close to her. Seiya watched but he couldn't see anything. Serena didn't react. She didn't see anything either. Michiru just looked completely devastated as realization seemed to dawn on her.

"You can't see him," she said breathlessly.

Seiya could see Serena start to cry and he stood in front of her protectively, blocking her from the two girls in front of him. He felt her hold on to his back, and tried not to delight in the feeling of her. This was not the time. He stood as tall and firm as he could.

"I don't know what you're playing at, but it's simply cruel," he said.

Haruka just glared at him. "This doesn't concern you."

"It does when you're using her dead boyfriend to scare her."

"Serena, we're not lying. I swear, we can see him," Michiru said.

"Just stop!"

Seiya turned around to look at her.

"If you're lying to me……." She said slightly.

"We would never lie to you about something like this Serena," Haruka said. "Please, I promise you….."

"Then why can't I see him?" She asked pointedly.

The two girls looked as one to something…..someone, standing close by. Seiya saw the looked of pain cross Haruka's face as she took something in and Michiru looked close to tears. What the hell was going on?

"This is too much," Serena said taking a few steps back. She looked like she was in shock.

Seiya watched as Michiru seemed to touch something, someone, in a comforting manner. This wasn't funny. He looked at Serena, afraid that she might not be able to handle this. What the two girls were doing made the anger rise up in him. It was unthinkable, trying to scare Serena away from him this way. That had to be what they were doing.

And then she was gone, running across the street and into the city with her blond hair flying out behind her.

Seiya looked back at the two girls, glaring, before taking off after her.

Haruka looked at the broken man beside her, feeling his anguish drift through the air.

"She can't see me," he said softly.

"I……." Michiru said. "This must be a trick. This woman that still has the girls, she must have done something to……"

Darien took a few shaky steps away, trying to control his breathing. "I couldn't even touch her."

"Did you feel something, like a barrier?" Haruka asked.

He shook his head.

"Why can we see you?" Michiru asked. "But Serena can't."

"Neither can Seiya," Haruka said.

Darien didn't know, he couldn't' even think about it. She couldn't see him. He had stood right in front of her, and she couldn't see him. She didn't believe that he was there. And she had clung to him, the tall dark haired singer he had seen before. He had held her hand and protected her, right in front of him.

The two girls watched him, unsure what to do. The usually calm and solemn Haruka was at a loss for words. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. What could she say at a time like this?

"We should find out who else can't see you," she finally said.

Darien didn't respond for a moment, but then slowly, he nodded.

"We have to find the other girls," he said. "They were trapped with me. If they're still there, they're in a much worse situation then us."

"Darien, I can't imagine what you must……."

"I'm fine," he cut her off. "She's safe. That's all that matters."

"We'll try to get her to…….." Haruka started.

"No, you'll leave her alone," he said sharply. The two girls looked at him wide eyed. "If she knows I'm here and can't see me, it'll be harder for her. Just leave her alone. We'll find a way to change this."

"What about Seiya?" Michiru asked.

Darien felt the usual dull pain pull at his heart and he lost his breath. "Let her have someone she can depend on."

* * *

Serena felt tears run down her cheeks as she ran blindly through the city. How could they do that too her? Why would they tell her that he was back? It didn't make any sense. He was dead, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

She weaved through the startled people, looking for somewhere she could hide. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to forget what had just happened. That had been so cruel.

She made her way into the park, not stopping until she could no longer hear the sounds of the city behind her. It seemed like every part of her hurt. Her heart, her mind, her body. It all hurt. For years she had worked at putting it behind her, and now this? Why would they have been so cruel to her? Through this all they had been her friends, even if she had tried to push them away. She knew they didn't like Seiya, but would they really go this far?

She knew that Seiya was behind her and his presence comforted her. But she was still upset.

"Serena," he said trying to catch his breath. "I don't know what to say to…."

She shook her head. "Don't. It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," Seiya argued. "If they're doing this just to get rid of me, then I have a problem with that."

Serena sighed deeply, trying to calm down. Everything her seemed so still. It was almost annoying.

"I just……" Serena hesitated. "I was getting over him. I thought I was finally moving forward."

Seiya felt his heart drop. "You still are," he said, knowing it wasn't true.

She shook her head. "That hurt," she said. "What they said, telling me that he was back, it hurt. But more then anything I wanted it to be true. For a split second, before he didn't show, I wanted him to be alive again."

"Well…..that's normal," Seiya said. "To want him to be alive."

"But he's not," she argued. "And I've accepted that."

Seiya reached for her, but she moved away.

"I'm sorry Seiya. You're the most important person to me right now, and I do care about your greatly. But I don't think I'm ready yet, to move on."

Seiya nodded, trying not to be disappointed.

"Are you angry?" She asked with innocent eyes.

He couldn't help but smile. "No, I'm not angry," he said. "Not at you."

"Can you take me home?" She asked gently.

"Of course," he smiled at her, taking her hand once again. He wouldn't be angry with her, that wasn't fair. What she was going through was too much. He couldn't expect her not to love him anymore, no matter how many times he had hurt her in the past.

* * *

Serena lay awake that night, afraid to close her eyes. Every time she did, she could see them in front of her, looking at her, afraid. Her friends who had given their lives to save her. Darien, who had died protecting her with his last breath. That was three years ago and yet if felt like yesterday. All the old wounds she had been healing from re-opened and she shuddered as the images flew around her mind.

But then something else happened.

Serena shot up in bed as Raye's voice ricocheted through her mind. "Serena!"

She breathed deeply, hearing the silence of her room.

Where had that come from? She didn't remember Raye screaming for her like that during the battle. They hadn't been in that much pain. It had happened so suddenly. One moment they were there, and the next it was over.

She walked towards her window and looked out at the clear moon in the sky. She missed her old room, where the beautiful cherry blossom tree reached towards her, always stretching. She missed her little balcony overlooking the front path where her friends had called her down a hundred times. She could see them smiling, excited about a late night adventure. Her friends.

A feeling pulled at her. One that she hadn't felt in a long time. It took her a moment to remember what it was.

When she did, she frowned in confusion before jumping swiftly through the window and into the night. It was the feeling she got when any of her scouts transformed.

* * *

Darien sat as quietly as possible, looking out at the moon high in the sky. It was so clear and bright in this moment, like Serena. Only the last time he'd seen her, she looked….broken. It was clear she didn't believe he was alive. The looked of pure horror and pain at what Haruka and Michiru had told her had been as clear as day. It had broken his heart. She believed he was gone forever.

He tried to remember what happened. Every time he searched for those memories, he just got flashes of images before he had to stop. They were there, they just weren't reachable.

"Can you tell me what happened?" He asked the only girl that seemed unafraid of his current mood. She stood behind him, unwavering, with her thin frame completely still. Hotaru.

"I wasn't there," she said softly. "But I have the story if you want to hear it."

Darien just nodded as he watched her move to lean against the railing beside him. The young girl unnerved him, but he didn't say so. He just watched her.

"Everything was perfectly peaceful," she said smiling. "Every scout had started living the life they had always wanted. There were no enemies and no late night battles. It was just…..life."

"What happened to change that?"

"A woman," Hotaru said gravely. "She had black hair, and deep blue eyes. Sort of like yours actually. She came out of nowhere and she came at full force. She was to powerful. Serena had to use the crystal to stop the onslaught of evil coming from the woman. They though she had won. The crystal's light overpowered her and for a moment it was over.

And then it all changed. The crystal was blown back into Serena and she found herself on the ground, unable to breath. She could only look up as the woman grabbed all the scouts. Serena said it was like she sucked the life right out of them. They went cold and pale, and they just went limp. She said she could feel them lose their lives as she watched, as if it were part of her. They were thrown behind her to fall hundreds of feet before landing in the water. Their bodies were never found."

"What about me?" He asked.

"When the scouts were dead you did everything in your power to protect her. Whatever happened to Serena, she was completely defenseless. She could hardly move. You tried to get her out of there but you couldn't get past that woman. She killed you, much the same way she did the girls. Serena was left alone."

"How did she get away?" He asked softly.

"She didn't. Once you were dead, the woman simply disappeared, never to be heard from again. Until now."

Parts of it didn't make sense. This woman had killed them, but somehow he was still alive. And somewhere the girls were alive as well.

"She cried for days," Hotaru continued. "Sometimes I thought she might never get over it. The future went completely black. Setsuna said there's nothing to guard. There's nothing there. When your future was lost, the whole future of the universe was lost. She has nothing to protect now, so she lives with us when she's not searching for answers."

"There would be a future, even if Serena and I died. There would be something."

"There isn't," she said shaking her head. "Without you, there's nothing."

Darien sighed as he tried to understand what she was saying. No future? How was that possible? It was more probable that the future was just blocked. He knew that without Serena the future would be dark, but not gone.

Hotaru suddenly gasped and Darien looked at her with concern taking him over. The young girl had wide eyes and her skin had gone pale. She looked at him startled.

Haruka was there in a moment. "Come on, it's time for a fight," she said before leaping over the balcony followed quickly by Michiru. Darien quickly grabbed the younger girl and lept after them, running towards whatever it was they were going to fight. He felt his adrenaline pick back up and the urge to protect her overtook him completely. It was almost refreshing. It was something he knew, the feeling of wanting to protect her. To him, it made sense.

* * *

Serena came to the clearing and stopped short. In front of her, sitting by herself completely naked, was Raye.

"Serena?" Raye looked up at her with wide, uncertain eyes. She shuddered, her body weak.

Serena ran to her quickly, pulling off her jacket and wrapping her up with it.

Raye watched her, unseeing.

"I felt you transform," Serena said softly. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to do. Raye was here, in front of her, after three years. Did that mean they were all alive? Did that mean Darien was alive?

"Serena?"

Serena looked at Raye, noticing the glazed over look of her eyes. She furrowed her brow. She knew that she was in shock, but Raye's reaction seemed wrong.

"Raye, can you hear me?"

Raye all but collapsed and Serena tried to hold her up. She noticed the wounds that covered her body and how thin she seemed. She had to get her to a hospital. But how? That hospital was across town and she couldn't even carry her out of the park let alone to a taxi.

She spun around when she heard a sound.

Sailor Uranus shot into the clearing followed by Sailor Neptune. The two girls stopped in their tracks when they saw her.

"I need to get her to a hospital," she said hurriedly.

Sailor Uranus was stunned for only a moment before she quickly stepped forward and scooped the girl up. "Come on," she said before taking off towards the road.

Serena ran after her, fear gripping her insides. This was Raye. One of her best friends that she had lost was in front of her, and she could be dying. But she couldn't feel her. It had been three years since she had felt the presence of her scouts, and she still couldn't. She felt it when Raye transformed. But she hadn't transformed.

She tried to shake out her thoughts. This didn't make sense. None of this made any sense.

Michiru, being herself again, lept into a cab quickly followed by Raye.

"We'll meet you there," Sailor Uranus said before throwing Hotaru who had come up behind them into the front seat. "Go!"

Serena watched the car quickly drive away and she felt her whole body shake.

"What happened?" Haruka asked quickly as she de-transformed.

Serena stuttered, her eyes wide. "I…..she……" She couldn't seem to get her mind to work.

Haruka shook her, trying to get her to focus. "Serena look at me."

"She's alive," she breathed.

"Serena, you need to tell me what happened. How did you find her? Where did she come from?"

"I felt her," Serena said.

Haruka waited a moment, hoping she would say something else. What it seemed clear that she wouldn't. She looked at Darien who stood behind them. The worry that had seeped into his eyes frightened her, and she knew that something was going to happen, and soon.

"Serena, we need to get you to the hospital. Can you run?"

Serena nodded before she was pulled unceremoniously by the taller girl in the direction of the hospital. She ran as fast as she could, trying to keep up. Her mind whirled around her, and she couldn't breath properly. She couldn't pay attention to where they were going. Everything spun around her, and only one thought seemed to scream at her over and over again.

If Raye was alive, maybe they were all alive.

* * *

End of Chapter Three!!!

Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: My work is really picking up this week. I don't have as much time to write as I usually do. I promise to get the next chapter to you all soon, be patient. But don't worry, because no matter what happens, I always finish my stories. The bad part is that I just read the greatest story by Mockingbird Julia called Summer of the Moonlit Maid and it's given me the greatest idea for my next story. I really want to write it, but it's going to have to wait until this one is finished, and this one looks to be a little longer then my usual. Anyway, if you haven't read that story, I totally recommend it.

* * *

Serena paced back and forth, feeling the seconds tick by one by one, in the slowest most painful agony. Raye was somewhere back there, probably dead. She had to be dead. Or it wasn't Raye. It could have just been a girl that looked like Raye. But nobody really looked like Raye. She had those violet eyes that were completely unique. She had seen her. But maybe it had all been in her imagination.

She looked at the three girls sitting in a line in the plastic hospital chairs, watching her. Hotaru was looking beside her, at air. Michiru looked anxious, holding Haruka's hand tightly. Haruka had her long legs crossed, looking as composed and calm as she always did. Whatever thoughts were running through her mind, she didn't let them show on her face.

"Was it really her?" Serena asked softly.

All three girls looked at her. It was Michiru who silently nodded.

Serena went back to her pacing, wishing with all her heart that the doctor would come out and tell them something, anything. It had been hours. It was probably getting close to morning already. This was to much.

Serena looked at them, seeing that Hotaru was smiling at something again. She furrowed her brow as she watched her, wondering what was going through the mind of the mysterious little girl.

"Were you telling me the truth before?" Serena asked, not looking away from Hotaru.

The two older girls were silent.

"Were you?" Serena asked again.

"Yes," Haruka said seriously.

Serena walked up and knelt in front of Hotaru. She felt the other two girls stiffen as they watched her. The young girl just smiled at her, her eyes full of life and energy. Despite all she had been through, she still enjoyed life. She still found delight in small pleasure. Serena admire that.

"What are you looking at?" She asked in a soft voice.

She could feel the tension around her and she tried to ignore it as she focused on only her.

Hotaru smiled. "Are you ready, my princess, to believe in the truth?"

Serena tried not to tremble.

"Is he really alive?" She asked with tears forming in her eyes. Her voice cracked and wavered, despite her effort to keep it under control.

"When you believe it could be true, then it might be true."

Serena sobbed as she looked down at the floor. Tears leaked from her eyes and she couldn't seem to stop them. It couldn't be true. Despite everything that had happened, it couldn't be true. She had seen him die. She had lived through it.

"Serena, we wouldn't lie to you, not about something like this," Michiru said.

"Then why can't I see him?" Serena demanded angrily.

She saw the flinch in Michiru, but not in Haruka.

Serena sat on the floor, feeling her heart breaking again. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had gotten past it. She had learned to live on her own. If this was a joke, or someone was playing with her, she knew she wouldn't be able to survive loosing him again.

"I don't think so," Hotaru said.

Serena looked back up at her, but the girl wasn't looking at her. She was looking beside her again. Serena sat up, startled. Was he right there? Was he sitting right next to her right now?

"Hotaru?" Serena asked. "Who…….."

"Miss Tsukino?"

Serena turned around to see the doctor walking towards her. She quickly stood up, still distracted by the idea that Darien could be standing so close to her and she couldn't even feel him. She tried to, but it had been a long time since she had even tried.

"Is she alright?" She asked quickly.

"Your friend has been through a lot. She doesn't seem to remember anything of what happened to her, and that's probably for the best. I think she's been treated very badly. There is evidence of abuse and starvation."

Serena just nodded as her throat seemed to close.

"I think she'll be fine. We've given her something to help with the pain, and she's already had something to eat."

Serena looked at him startled. "She's awake."

"Yes, and she's asking for you."

She breathed out, going completely numb.

The doctor looked past her and frowned. Serena barely noticed, but his next words caught her attention again.

"I would also like to take a look at your friend," he said. "He looks to be in about the same condition as she is."

Serena froze. Every inch of her body tingled in unexpected pain as her muscles seized up. She slowly turned around, half hoping to see him and half dreading it.

She felt disappointment blanket her as her eyes drifted over air.

Hotaru just looked up at her happily, a smile on her face.

Haruka stood up and walked towards her, taking her hand gently.

"I'll take her to see Raye," she said to the doctor, not indicating any more about Darien. She pulled the stiff girl through the swinging double doors that lead into the rest of the hospital.

Darien could only sigh in complete defeat as he watched Serena disappear through the doors. He looked at Hotaru who smiled as happily as if she had just received her first birthday present and it was exactly what she wanted. The doctor walked up to him.

"I'm fine," he said offhandedly.

"That's a nasty bruise you have on your cheek," he said.

"It was an accident. I wasn't watching where I was going."

The doctor seemed to study him. "Are you related to the girl we're treating today."

"Why would you ask that?" Darien asked.

"She's got the same color hair and the same wounds. Perhaps something happened to the two of you together."

Darien crossed his arms. "It didn't and I'm fine."

The doctor hesitated, but then stood up. "Very well. I would suggest only one person sees her at a time. She seems to be in quite a bit of shock."

"It'll all come to something soon," Hotaru said happily.

Darien leaned back, resting his head against the wall behind him. This was all too much. He felt like he hadn't stopped in days. His body and mind were both exhausted, and yet he was afraid to relax. What if this was all some sick and twisted dream, and he would wake-up to find something worse. What if this was how it stayed forever. What was worse, not being with her or being near and no being noticed by her? He was a ghost in all of this. And worse, he was hurting her. The pain in her eyes had been obvious and it shot cold daggers through him. He hated hurting her.

"We could talk to her, for you," Michiru said. "You could tell me what to say and I could tell her."

Darien shook his head.

"Why not?" She asked. "With Raye here now, she has to believe that it's possible. Don't you want to speak to her?"

"How can you even ask me that as if it were a question?" Darien said in a low voice. "Of course I want to speak to her. I also want her to be able to see me. I want her to not have feelings for another guy and I want her to believe that I'm alive."

"Then why….."

"Because it wouldn't matter!" Darien said loudly. "It's still not coming from me."

"But it would be coming from you," she argued.

Darien reached up to rub his eyes in tired frustration. "No, it wouldn't be coming directly from me," he said. "I want her to be able to hear me. My voice, my words. I know her and I know that if she can't hear me, then she won't believe it."

"She….."

"Would you just stop arguing with me alright!" Darien said loudly. "Don't you think I would show myself to her if I could?"

Michiru looked about to argue again, but she closed her mouth, deciding against it.

"We just need to find a way to get to the other girls. We can't sit back and hope that they'll all be let go, like Raye."

"And you," Hotaru said. "You were let go."

Darien nodded. "Yes I was." His brow furrowed. "But why?"

"You said this is some sort of game to her. She's trying to get to Serena."

"No she's not," Darien said trying to concentrate. "She said she wants Serena to fight alone, because she doesn't think she'll be as strong by herself."

"That's true," Hotaru said.

"No it's not," Michiru chided. "Serena is stronger then any of us if she wants to be."

"Not without he heart," Hotaru said.

"What do you mean?" Darien asked. Fear had suddenly enveloped him like a blanket.

"Serena fights with her heart. Her love and devotion to her friends is what make her strong. If she's got nothing to fight for, then she's going nothing to fight with."

Darien lowered his eyes, letting her words sink it.

"That's why we continue to love her even if she tries to push us away," Hotaru said. "So that even though she can't see it, its' there for her if she needs it."

Unless that love was taken away.

"She would fight in their memory," he said.

"Yes, but a memory is not the same."

Darien looked towards the doors Serena had just walked through, wanting to go to her. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to love and support her so that she could be her strongest all the time. But how? She couldn't even see him. And worse, she didn't truly believe that he was even there for her. To her, he was dead.

* * *

Serena pushed the door open slowly and walked alone into the small hospital room. She could hear the beeps of monitors softly chiming away around her.

Raye sat on the bed, with the fluffy white pillows around her, and she looked tired.

"Raye?" Serena asked, still not believing what she had seen.

Her eyes flew open to reveal the unmistakable violet color the was unique to only her.

They were completely still for a moment, staring at each other.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Raye said smiling.

Serena nearly broke down as she all but threw herself at Raye, wrapping her arms tightly around her. She couldn't help the tears that came uncontrollably from her eyes, even when Raye laughed gently at her reaction. She just hugged her, with everything that she had.

She couldn't believe it. This was Raye. She recognized her feeling and her smell. She recognized her laugh and her smile. It was her.

Serena pulled away only slightly, already up on the bed with her. Her tears still flowed from her eyes and she tried to pull herself together.

"I can't believe it's you," she said breathlessly.

"Neither can I," Raye said.

Serena couldn't help but smile softly when Raye reached out to wipe the tears of her cheek. Her hands were cold.

"What happened?" Serena asked.

"I don't really know," Raye said, then her eyes widened. "Where are the other girls?"

Serena was at a loss. "I don't know," she said slowly. "Until we found you, I thought they were dead."

Raye looked down in concentration for a moment. "What about Darien?" She asked. "They carried him away from the rest of us, to another part of that….place. He was injured. Is he alright? Have you found him yet?"

Serena felt her insides tie into knots.

Raye watched her, feeling dread wash over her. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"Three years ago," Serena said quietly. "Almost to the day."

"Oh Serena," Raye said with worry in her eyes. "What happened?"

Serena shook her head, feeling the tears again. "There was a battle, and you died. You and the other girls. Darien as well."

"But we didn't," Raye said.

"I saw you, with my own eyes. I watched it happen."

"But it couldn't have," Raye argued. "We were together. The four of us, and then Darien was there as well. The others are alive, I saw them."

Serena nodded.

"We have to find them. If that woman still has them, she could kill them. And Darien too. Serena, we have to hurry."

Serena nodded again. "I'll get the scouts, the outer scouts, and we'll find a way to find them. Maybe we can track where you came from."

Raye nodded.

"But Raye, you have to rest. The doctor said you've been abused."

Raye didn't seem to hear her. Her eyes had become distant. She was lost in thought.

"Raye, can you hear me?"

There was a pause.

Serena opened her mouth to speak again, but Raye cut in.

"You said goodbye," Raye said softly.

Serena looked at her confused. "What?"

"It's the first thing I remember. That woman, she chained us all to the floor, and then they brought in Darien. He looked beaten and half starved. I was afraid for him. She said something about you fighting alone and finally giving up on us, and then she showed us……..you."

"She showed you me?"

Raye nodded. "You were saying goodbye. You said you were moving on and that……you had found something else."

Serena felt her heart sink. "She showed you when I said goodbye?"

Raye nodded.

Serena felt every feeling of guilt and fear wash over her and it was as if someone had stopped her breath from reaching her lungs.

"And Darien heard?"

Raye nodded again, slowly.

Serena shook her head. He wouldn't have heard if he was dead. But Raye was not the first person to say the he was alive. She found herself praying that he was dead. If he was alive and he had heard her, she couldn't even imagine how much she might have hurt him.

"Who are you leaving him for?" Raye asked.

Serena looked at her. "I……I'm not……It's not like…….I thought he was dead."

Raye nodded. "I understand, but he's not."

For the first time all night, Serena thought of Seiya and once again her heart squeezed painfully in her chest.

"Oh no," she said realizing what had happened. If Darien was still alive there was no question, she loved him. She had always loved him. She loved him with her whole heart and nothing could ever change that. But what about Seiya. The guilt of what she had put him through washed over her. She had allowed herself to get attached to him only because Darien was dead. She hadn't thought that she would have to pick between them.

"Serena, what's the matter?" Raye asked worried.

"I think I've done something awful," Serena answered with wide eyes.

* * *

Serena sat impatiently on the back of the couch, watching Haruka talk quietly with Setsuna. She hadn't seen the older girl in awhile and part of her wanted to great her fondly, but she was to full of anxiety. She tapped her foot nervously on the floor, trying to be patient.

"You're making me nervous," Hotaru said softly.

Serena looked at her, and smiled. "Sorry." She stilled her foot, moving to actually sit on the couch. "I'm just nervous."

"We'll find the other girls," she said softly.

Serena just nodded, wishing it to be true. She was anxious for them. Raye was not in very good condition. If all her friends had been treated like that, for three years, she wouldn't forgive herself for no going after them.

"Why don't we watch TV while we're waiting," Michiru said softly. She sat down next to them and clicked on the TV.

The noise filled the apartment, making any thought of hearing the conversation going on impossible. Serena tried to pay attention to it, but she couldn't. Her mind flitted around, resting on each of her friends. It had been three years to her, but only weeks or maybe days to them. Had they changed? Raye had grown, so they obviously had been in a place where time still mattered. What about Darien? Was he really injured? The doctor seemed to think he was. He had said she looked like Raye.

She leaned over to ask Hotaru if he was alright, but then the news flashed on and the announcers words caught everyone's attention.

"It's been exactly three years since a disaster of this magnitude has occurred," the newscaster said. "Reports are coming in that some sort of monster is trapping at least a dozen people in the mall. It is unclear whether or not they're still alive, but…."

Serena took off without hearing the rest of the news. She heard someone call out for her, but she didn't stop. They would follow her, she was sure.

She sprinted across the city, knowing the route instinctively.

When she got there, the sounds of screamed pierced through her, and she transformed immediately. She felt the pull as Raye transformed. It startled her. Raye was supposed to be resting upstairs. She quickly looked back to the see the fiery girl run up beside her.

Sailor Mars smiled at her. "Just like old times," she said.

Serena couldn't help but smile. She stood and faced the monster in front of her.

"You ready?" She asked Sailor Mars.

"Let's burn this thing to the ground."

Sailor Moon smiled when she heard Mars call out her attack. The fire arrow moved swiftly through the air, connecting with the monster making it scream in agony.

'world shaking' thundered across the ground, hitting it from another angle.

Darien watched from a few feet away, confusion written all over his face as he watched the scouts fight. He was transformed, ready to help in a moments notice, but it didn't make any sense.

"What are you thinking?" Sailor Saturn asked from beside him.

Darien didn't take his eyes off Sailor Moon. "If she wanted to see how Serena fought on her own, why is she giving her back her friends, one by one. Why would she let me go so that I might be able to help her. And now Raye is back. It doesn't make any sense."

"It will when her plan unfolds."

Darien wasn't so sure. The more the plan seemed to unravel, the more he worried. How could he be prepared to protect her if he wasn't sure what was coming? Apparently she had killed them all the first time they'd met. Why hadn't she just finished them off?

He watched her fight, tall and graceful. They had said she hadn't fought much in the last three years, but she didn't seem to have suffered much from it. She moved easily through the air, attacking when the moment was right. Her long beautiful legs carried her swiftly and steadily. She wasn't a child anymore.

Darien found himself wanting to go to her, like he used to. He never liked her fighting. She was strong, there was no doubt, but he never liked her fighting. He always protected her, pulling her out of the fight as often as possible. Now she was on her own and the feeling didn't sit well with him.

When the fight was over, and Sailor Moon had destroyed the monster, he relaxed every so slightly. Sailor Mars had been just as strong as she had been the day they'd died. She would be able to protect her again.

He saw her smile at Sailor Moon triumphantly, and then her violet eyes met his.

Darien wasn't sure what he expected, but the sudden excited happiness that sparked into her eyes was almost overwhelming. She could see him.

Darien felt his heart stop.

"Darien, you're alive!" Raye exclaimed.

The first thing he did was look at Serena.

Serena looked around widly and he could see the hope in her eyes, and then the disappointment when she didn't see him. Her shoulders fell and her whole posture seemed defeated. It broke his heart.

"She can't see me Raye," he said deliberately.

Raye looked at him confused, and then back at Serena who was watching her with a frown on her face.

"What do you mean she can't see you?"

Serena looked around again and Darien felt awful.

"I'll explain when we're alone. For now, just stop talking to me. You're confusing her and that's the last thing I want."

"But…."

"I said stop Raye!" He said loudly.

Raye seemed startled and she took a step back. She nodded, feeling Serena's eyes on her the whole time.

"You can see him?" Serena asked.

Raye looked at the other scouts for help, but they just watched. Haruka was as stony as always.

"I…..well……I'm confused," she said finally. "I just thought..... but ........why can you see me then?" she asked.

Raye saw the tears in Serena's eyes and she quickly made her way towards the girl, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Serena shook her head. "I'm so confused."

"I know," Raye said. "We'll talk about it later." Her eyes drifted over to Darien again who watched with pain filled eyes. "Let's get out of here."

It seemed like all he could ever do was watch her walk away from him. He turned to look at the four outer scouts that stood a short distance away. Haruka had no emotion in her eyes, but he could tell that her mind was spinning. Sailor Saturn was the first to start following Serena, and they all followed.

"Will you come with us?" Sailor Neptune asked.

Darien nodded. "I can't leave her."

"It's not fair that you can see her but she can't see you," Sailor Pluto said. "Maybe you should stay away."

"Nothing on this earth could make me leave her this time," he said sternly.

* * *

Serena and Raye sat together on the bed. It was late at night and the rest of the house seemed eerily quiet. Serena looked completely distraught. Her usually happy eyes didn't hold any of their spark.

"So you thought he was dead, and Haruka and Michiru were telling you they could see him?"

Serena nodded.

"Whoa," Raye said with a breath. "That really sucks."

"Tell me about it," Serena said. "I wanted to believe them, but I just couldn't. Not after three years. But then Hotaru saw him and the doctor saw him, and you can see him. Apparently I'm the only one who can't."

"You and Seiya," Raye corrected.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"But do you believe he's there?"

"I think so," Serena said. "Otherwise the world is going crazy and I'm the only one staying sane."

Raye smiled.

"Is he really alive?" Serena asked.

"You've asked me that already."

"I need you to tell me again."

"Yes," Raye said. "He's really alive and he's here. You just can't see him."

Serena tried not to cry. "I wish I could talk to him," she said.

"You can talk to him through me if you want."

Serena shook her head. "It's not the same. I want to hear his voice. I need to in order to truly believe it. What if he dies for real this time, in a battle? I'll never be able to see him. It will be like loosing him again without ever having been able to talk to him. That would be worse then loosing him in the first place."

Raye nodded.

"I have to tell Seiya," Serena said.

"I'm confused about that a little bit," Raye said. "You said you never really started dating him."

"I didn't," she explained. "But I've lead him to believe that we have a future together, it's just going to take me time to get there. He thinks that I just need a little more time to get over Darien and we'll end up together. I've basically confirmed that for him. And I meant it. I do care about him a great deal, and I can't be alone my whole life."

"Oh, that makes more sense. So you're upset about hurting him."

"He's been with me through all of this Raye. In one day I lost everyone that was important to me, and he helped me get through it. I do love him, it's just….it's not the same way I love Darien."

"Then tell him that."

Serena sighed. "Let's talk about something else now."

"Like what?" Raye said crossing his arms. "Apparently I've been dead for three years. I want gossip, and talking about your messed up love life is the closest I'm going to get to that right now."

Serena giggled softly. "It's just two guys."

Raye rolled her eyes. "Yeah, two guys love you, your life sucks."

"I can't see one of them," she said.

"See," Raye said smiling, "it's like a soap opera."

Serena laughed. "I guess it is."

"Come on, let's just try and relax. You look all tense and twitchy. The Serena I knew could never be that uptight. I haven't seen you fall down since I got back. That's no fun at all."

"You're awful, you know that?" Serena said.

Raye just shrugged happily. "I told you, just like old times."

* * *

"I think I located them," Setsuna said walking into the room.

Darien looked up at her surprised. "Where?"

"We'd have to teleport to get there."

He noticed all four girls in the room look up at the ceiling. Serena would be right above them right now.

"Then let's go," Darien said. "Without her."

"She's not going to like that," Hotaru said softly.

They were quiet.

"She doesn't have a choice," Darien said. "We're going to go and get the girls back, and then we'll deal with Serena. She'll be fine when she knows they're all safe, I know she will."

"That's very optimistic seeing as you know nothing about what she's been through the last three years," Haruka said crossing her arms.

Darien looked at her uncertainly. "What?"

"You've been back for two days and already you're taking her out of the fight, just like you did before. Haven't you learned anything," she said seriously.

Darien stood up, rising to his full height. Even she was not as tall as him.

"I will do whatever I can to protect her," he said slowly.

"You shielding her from the world is why this woman thinks she can beat her."

"You're blaming my desire to not see her hurt," Darien said.

"I'm saying that she's never going to learn to fight on her own if you don't even let her fight with the scouts. We were built to protect her. She's strong enough to handle anything that comes at her. Your job is not to make decisions about her well being."

"I love her," Darien said. "She's my whole future."

"And she's not ours?" Haruka asked.

Michiru put her hand softly on Haruka's arm, trying to calm her down. But the tall girl was obviously determined to win.

"I will not do anything without my princess."

Darien gritted his teeth. "You would put her in danger?"

"There's a difference between protecting her and keeping her away from every life experience. She's not as innocent as you think. She can handle this. She handled your death fine and even managed to almost move on from it."

Darien felt the words hit him like a ton of bricks, but he desperately tried not to let it show. She had moved on. "I won't let her go."

"It's her decision to make," Haruka said.

"We're going around in circles," Setsuna said cutting in. "It doesn't matter which one of you is right. She's going to find out either way so we might as well tell her."

Darien went to protest, but stopped himself.

"Darien, you can't protect her from everything. She has to be able to protect herself if the times comes," Michiru said.

Darien just shook his head. "She shouldn't have to."

"I'll tell her," Hotaru said quickly jumping off the couch and racing across the room. Haruka went to stop her, but the little girl escaped her grasp and was gone.

Darien sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"You should stay here."

Darien looked up at the taller girl in surprise for the second time that night. She looked at him intensely, only seriousness in her eyes.

"Are you kidding?"

"You're just going to be a distraction to her," she said.

"She can't even see me," Darien said. "What kind of a distraction could I be?"

"He's going Haruka," Setsuna said. "We need all the help we can get and he's the only one who's been there before. It would be foolish not to take him."

Haruka didn't argue with her, which surprised Darien but he kept his mouth shut. He was going. Apparently they were all going. But the sudden change Haruka had towards him startled him. He wondered, not for the first time, what exactly she was thinking.

* * *

When Serena came into the room Darien's breath caught in his throat, just like every time he saw her. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, and her hair had come loose from her buns. She was beautiful. He stepped towards her, reaching out to touch her. But again he couldn't. It was like something stopped him from moving any further.

He just wanted her to look at him. Her eyes glanced around the room, resting on everyone but him. It killed him. Too be so close and get so far away. But at least he could see her. At least here she stood, right in front of him, safe.

"When do we leave?" She asked.

* * *

End of Chapter Four

Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: I'm so sorry about the wait. I'm trying to get this story typed out every moment I get, but it's been a really busy week. When I get some spare time, I promise to get up a few chapters all really quickly to make up for this. Hope you like this chapter for now!

* * *

Darien stumbled when they landed, feeling the sudden weight of gravity hit him again and throwing him off balance. He wasn't used to traveling like that. The scouts around him seemed unfazed and stood motionless for a moment, trying to gather in their remaining power. He watched Sailor Moon as she opened her eyes, and for a split second she looked right at him. Her clear blue eyes focused on his.

He held his breath.

She looked through him, and then away and he felt disappointment settle over him again. He looked around quickly, trying to figure out where they were. It was up to him to figure out which way to go, but he had only been here once, and he had been hardly focused at that time. He moved close to Sailor Moon, protecting her even if she couldn't feel it.

"We need to find where they keep prisoners. Form what I remember, it looked a lot like a stone jail cell," he said softly.

Sailor Pluto nodded, holding her staff to the side.

His eyes met Sailor Saturn who stood shorter then the rest, but looking infinitely more deadly. Her clear eyes held amusement, and he wondered again what the girl might be thinking. Of them all, she was the only one that didn't seem worried. It gave him a strange feeling, knowing that the girl held the most deadly power in the group and yet didn't seem to fear their situation. They were deep in enemy territory and she still smiled softly.

They moved as a group, Darien staying directly behind Sailor Moon. He could smell the shampoo she used as it drifted behind her, clouding his senses. It was the same as he remembered. He inhaled deeply, savoring this moment of closeness. This was the most he'd been to her since he'd gotten back. His whole body ached to touch her, to feel her.

He watched her walking steadily, surrounded by her scouts. She was taller then she had been before. Her long thin legs stretched out under her and her body was slightly curvier. She wasn't a kid anymore. She had grown up. Her hair drifted across her delicate skin, causing him to shudder as he could almost feel it himself.

"Are you alright?"

Darien nearly jumped at the sound of her smooth voice as she looked at Sailor Mars. Her beautiful blue eyes clear and worried. The fiery girl still looked weak, even though he knew she wasn't. He knew what she was feeling. Her body hurt, and perhaps she wasn't at full strength, but the immense urge to protect Serena kept them going.

"I'm alright," she answered smiling. It was a fake smile, but it was a smile.

"Do you recognize anything yet?" Sailor Uranus asked.

The question could have been directed at either of them.

Darien shook his head in time with Sailor Mars.

"They didn't really let us walk around," Sailor Mars said. Darien watched Sailor Moon reach out and take her friends hand, wishing that it was his. "I only remember the room she kept us in. We were all chained to the floor."

Sailor Mars looked back at Darien, questioning with her eyes.

"I saw only a hallway and another cell more than you," he answered.

She nodded.

Sailor Moon stopped, and Darien would have bumped into her had not something stopped him from touching her. But Sailor Neptune did bump into him and he felt a strange almost painful sensation go through him as he was forced another inch closer to her.

She stood very still, looking with wide eyes straight ahead of her.

"What?" Sailor Uranus asked worriedly.

"I can feel them," she whispered, and then she took off.

It took them a moment to comprehend what she had said before they took off running after her. She was running at full speed, her long legs carrying her over the ground swiftly. Every sense was positioned directly on the feeling of them in front of her. It was the same feeling she had when Raye re-appeared. It was as if they had just transformed. Her heart raced madly in her chest as she ran towards them, trying desperately to reach them. She had to reach them. They were her life. She had to find them.

When a woman came out of nowhere and hit her with a staff, she was totally unprepared for it. She hit the ground hard, holding her shoulder where the staff had connected painfully. She cried out when the cold stone seemed to jolt through her entire body.

At once she was surrounded by people.

Serena looked up as her scouts circled around her, protecting her.

"Is that her?" Sailor Neptune asked.

She looked to stare at the woman standing a few feet away with dark blue hair and a black outfit. The woman smiled and it sent shivers through her.

"No, but she's involved," Raye said.

Sailor Moon stood up shakily, feeling the people around her lend her their strength.

"Oh, I see you found one," the woman laughed, looking at Sailor Mars. "My Mistress will be so pleased."

"Where are the others?" Sailor Pluto demanded.

She woman laughed. "It wouldn't be fun if I told you now, would it. It would spoil the game."

Sailor Moon felt anger boil within her. A game? This was supposed to be a game? She readied her attack. The crystal sparked to life within her, giving her the usual rush of energy. She felt it flow through her, igniting all her senses and preparing her for battle.

And then she felt him.

Sailor Moon turned around, momentarily distracted. He wasn't there. But she had felt the crystal pull urgently against her and drew him in. She could feel him, as if he were standing right behind her. But he wasn't there.

Darien looked at her concerned. She looked both surprised and scared. What was she feeling?

Sailor Moon turned away, trying to focus on what was happening. She felt shaky, like she had just been through something terrifying. But she had to focus. She had to get her friends back. When she did, she could find a way to get him back as well. He was alive, he had to be. She rubbed her injured shoulder, feeling the pain throb dull within. It wasn't bad. She could fight.

But it was Sailor Saturn who attacked first, suddenly and without warning. The woman in black hardly had time to get out of the way as it hit her.

"She's wasting our time," Sailor Saturn said. "The girls are here, and she's trying to stall us while they move them."

The woman laughed again. "Very clever little girl. But either way, you're still not getting past me."

'dead scream'

'deep submerge'

'world shaking'

Sailor Moon almost jumped as the three attacks rocketed towards the woman, crashing through the stone walls and thundering mercilessly towards the target. The woman's eyes widened and she barely had enough time to throw up a shield before she was hit.

She screamed in agony.

Sailor Moon felt Sailor Mars squeaze her hand, and she looked at her friend.

"This is the part where you save the day," she said with a smile.

Sailor Moon couldn't help but feel the love from her friends seep into her, and it gave her strength. She need to save her friends.

She pulled the crystal through her again and tried desperately to ignore the feeling of him behind her. She attacked.

When the light hit the woman, she barely had time to scream before she was defeated. She crumbled into dust, leaving nothing left of herself to fight.

"Come on!" Sailor Mars said grabbing her and quickly running through the room. She was followed by the ground, and they passed where the woman had just died.

It was surreal to her that all that had just happened. She hadn't fought like that in years, and yet the strength of the scouts had killed that woman so quickly. It was like she was nothing more than their typical wayward monster. But she had been strong.

It took a few guesses when the hallways forked, but they finally found themselves in the room where the girls had been kept.

"This is it," Sailor Mars said breathlessly.

Sailor Moon flew towards them. Mina and Amy lay on the floor, unconscious and wounded. They were chained painfully down, unable to move at all. Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw her friends and she quickly ordered the scouts to help get them out.

When they were free, Sailor Uranus picked up Mina and Amy disappeared.

She cried out in alarm when the blue haired girl vanished before her eyes.

"What! What's wrong?" Sailor Mars looked at her startled.

The other scouts quickly circled her, protecting her from whatever evil she had seen.

"Amy, where is she?"

The scouts looked at her confused, and then Sailor Neptune noticed what was wrong.

"She's fine, we can see her."

Sailor Moon looked around her. "Where?"

"I guess it's a spell on him and no her," Sailor Pluto said.

"What?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Darien has her," Sailor Uranus said softly.

She wanted to react, but she didn't know how. Instead she just stayed silent, not moving.

"Let's go home," Sailor Saturn said softly. "Before something else happens."

"What about Lita?" Sailor Moon asked.

"They've already taken her somewhere else. She's probably not even here anymore. We'll find her, don't worry," Sailor Pluto said. "It's a good sign that everyone is still alive. It means there's a bigger purpose to all of this. They wouldn't kill Lita."

"This was too easy," Sailor Neptune said. "We only came across one person. What about the woman who put this all together?"

They looked at each other.

"Let's get out before she does to something," Sailor Mars said. "I'm not eager to see her again."

They quickly teleported again, and soon found themselves back in the big house shared by the outer scouts.

Serena let out another startled gasp when Amy appeared in the couch beside her. She quickly ran to the weakened girl, pushing her slightly longer than usual hair out of her eyes.

"Amy?" She said softly.

The pale girls eyes fluttered open and blue met blue. For a moment Amy seemed to almost smile, her eyes filling with tears. Serena tried to smile back, comforting the girl. But then Amy's eyes rolled back in her head. Serena felt panic suddenly blanket her.

"Somethings wrong," Haruka said pushing her away. She bent of Amy, looking for a pulse. "Call an ambulance!" She said.

Serena looked over to where Mina was lying on the ground with Michiru bending over her. She felt fear grip her. What if they didn't survive?

* * *

Serena sat unmoving in the soft padded chair, listening to the soft beeping of the monitors hooked up to her friends. Amy and Mina lay in two pure white beds looking pale and battered. Neither of them moved. Neither of them even looked alive. But all Serena could do was sit there and wait.

She felt a tear roll down her cheek and her body felt numb.

This couldn't be happening. The world around her simply didn't make any sense anymore. For three years she had tried to cope with the loss of all her friends, and now this. Part of her was so happy to see them again. She couldn't believe that after all this time they were so close to her. But they were dying. The doctor had said it looked bad. Both of them were in a coma and probably wouldn't wake up.

For the first time since this whole thing had happened, she let herself wish that Darien was alive. She knew he was, he had to be, but she still didn't want to get her hopes up. What if it wasn't true?

She sobbed into the quiet room, feeling alone.

But was she alone?

Serena looked around her. Nothing seemed to move. She breathed deeply, trying to steady herself. The Darien she knew would be here with her right now, when she needed him most. He would sit with her, letting her cry into him. He would do whatever he could to comfort her, protect her.

"Are you here?" She whispered in a broken voice.

Darien desperately wanted to answer her, knowing she was asking the question to him. He sat only a few inches away from her, watching her, wanting nothing more then to help her through this. She was being so brave, and yet he could see her heart pull painfully in her chest.

"Yes," he answered.

Of course she couldn't hear him. She still looked around the room, seeing nothing. He watched her eyes fill with tears again, brimming, threatening to spill over. Her reached out to touch her, but couldn't.

"I wish I could feel you," she said softly. "I think I did for a moment, when we were saving the girls. I almost…….I thought that you were there."

He watched her, hoping that she would believe in him. He felt so torn. Here was the girl he loved, so close to him and yet so far away.

"Do something," she said softly.

Darien watch her struggle with herself.

"Do something to show me you're here. Do anything. I just…..I need to know that you're there."

Darien didn't move. He watched her sit motionless in her chair, tears falling freely down her beautiful face. She looked lost and heartbroken, and he wanted to be there for her. But how.

"Please," she breathed out. "Darien, I need you."

He hesitated. It would make it harder for her.

"Please," she breathed again, almost begged.

Darien looked around him, trying to decide what to do. Could he contact her? Would she be able to hear or see what he did? She had seen Amy disappear when he was near.

Gently, he pulled one of his roses from nowhere and looked at it evenly. The beautiful red petals were perfect and soft. He placed the rose down on the table next to her, and then walked to the other side of the room and watched her.

Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to catch nothing and he thought that it might not have worked. But then she focused on the rose beside her.

Darien let himself feel a soft smile when she breathed out and reached to pick it up. He saw the tears continue to fall, but he also saw hope in her. She didn't look around the room at all, only focused on the rose she now held lightly in her pale hand.

"I love you," she said softly.

Darien felt his throat choke as tears came to him. "I love you too."

* * *

End of Chapter five!

Please Review


	6. Chapter 6

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: I'm so sorry this is taking me so much longer to get out then my last stories, I really have been swamped at work. Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it. The next chapter has some more exciting stuff happening in it so be ready. Thank you so much for all the people who are reviewing. I promise to get this story out as soon as possible. I know I hate waiting a long time for chapters so I'll try my hardest to get the next one out in a day or two.

* * *

"We have to get Lita back," Serena said softly, sitting on the edge of the couch. The other girls in the room nodded, as well as Darien, but Serena couldn't see that. Raye was looking weak and it scared her, but the fiery girl refused to lie down and rest.

Amy and Mina were in the hospital and it didn't look good. Both girls were much worse then Raye had been.

"We can try and go back to where we found the other girls," Michiru said. "Maybe they simply moved her somewhere else in that place."

"I doubt it," Haruka said without emotion.

"Maybe they're keeping her where they kept Darien," Raye said.

They all saw Serena's inadvertent flinch, but nobody said anything.

Darien sat close to her, hoping that perhaps his proximity would sooth her in some small way. It didn't, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"How can we find her?" Setsuna asked. "I can try and look, but we don't even know where to start. Their last fortress was hidden within space and time. It took me hours, almost days to find it once I knew what I was looking for. To find another one could take even longer and we don't have that kind time."

"You can try," Serena said. "Try to focus only on finding Lita, nothing else. Maybe one of us can trace her somehow. I don't know how, but we just have to find her." She could feel tears well up again and she tried to fight them down, but the strain of the situation was starting to pull at her.

"We need to go out and look for clues of some sort," Raye said. "Maybe where you found me, or where we…..died."

"Splitting up would probably be fastest," Haruka said. "Serena will go with me, Setsuna, take Raye and Hotaru. Michiru, you go with Darien."

"We'll meet back here if you find anything," Michiru said.

Darien stood up next to Serena, looking at her worried expression. He wanted to go with her, so badly, but he knew it would be a distraction to her if she couldn't see him. He caught Haruka's look and stepped away. This wasn't the time.

* * *

Serena walked quietly beside the taller girl, trying to focus on their task, but she couldn't. All she could think about was Darien. She gently fingered the rose in her hand, feeling the softness of the petals. She couldn't seem to let it go. It smelled like him. In a way, it was him, and she couldn't let him go. Three years of learning to cope without him and now he was here.

She sighed. Part of her was so happy she could hardly contain it, and the other part of her was terrified. This new enemy could make her re-live the most devastating moment in her entire life and they had no idea how to stop her.

"You're awfully quiet," Haruka said softly.

Serena looked up at her, trying to read the older girls stormy eyes. She walked smooth and easy, like the situation for her was relatively normal. Like this was something she did every day. Her emotionless exterior always amazed her.

"I'm just thinking," she answered softly.

Haruka waited another moment before speaking again. "What's with the rose?"

Serena didn't answer.

"Is it from Seiya?"

"No," Serena bit out. "It's not and I don't want to talk about it."

"Closing yourself up is just…….."

"I said I don't want to talk about it," Serena said more forcefully.

Haruka looked at her, worry briefling streaming through her eyes before being closed up a moment later. She looked ahead of them again, letting Serena walk alone in her thoughts.

A terrified scream streaked through the air.

Both girls look towards the scream and froze for a moment.

Haruka smiled. "Looks like we get to fight after all."

Serena's communicator beeped at her urgently and she looked down to see Sailor Mars. For a moment her heart thrilled at seeing her friend again and she forgot the situation they were in. But her words sent confusion spiraling through her again.

"Attack at the mall, need back up."

Serena frowned. "We're not anywhere near the mall."

"We'll have to finish this one off first."

The two girls transformed quickly and took off to where a nasty looking monster was mercilessly attacking a group of teenagers.

* * *

Sailor Neptune cried out when she was hit in the side with a spike being shot from one of the monsters long arms. Tuxedo Mask quickly grabbed her and got her out of the way, and then turned on the monster.

"We need backup," she said.

"I don't think we're going to get it," he said out of breath.

They both dove out of the way of another attack.

Sailor Neptune spun around and attacked, barely missing another cut in her side. But it was true and strong, and the monster cried out in agony.

"We can't beat this thing on our own," she said.

Darien felt fear grip him. He prayed that Serena was alright.

* * *

"Where are they?" Sailor Mars called out in anger. "I can't believe she's still late, after all this time."

Sailor Pluto calmly sent her attack at the monster, but again it didn't seem to want to die. The scaly looking thing just stumbled, and then kept coming towards them.

"I'm sure they're caught up with something," Sailor Saturn said. "They would come if they weren't."

Sailor Mars quickly looked around, afraid for her friend. She had seen Sailor Moon watch her message so she had heard it and acknowledged it, but she still hadn't shown up. Was she in trouble? Had that woman come back.

She spun around and attacked the monster again. They could beat it. She could win this battle, to keep Sailor Moon safe. And when they were done, they would go after her, helping her from whatever was keeping her. They had to.  


* * *

Sailor Moon felt the cement scrap painfully at her knees when she hit the ground. She gritted her teeth against the feeling, trying not to cry out. She took only a moment to let it settle before getting up quickly. She heard Sailor Uranus call out another attack and she hoped that she was in the cross fire. She leap out of the way and spun around to face the battle.

"It's too strong," she said loudly.

Sailor Uranus didn't look at her or answer, she simply attacked again.

Sailor Moon wasn't sure what to do. She had already tried most of her attacks, and none seemed to work. This thing was too strong. She looked around, waiting for help. It didn't come. It wouldn't come. If Sailor Mars was fighting with the other scouts, then it was a good chance Sailor Neptune and Tuxedo Mask were in a similar situation. There was no one else.

She saw a small opening and attacked, hitting the monster hard. It cried out in pain, but didn't die. They needed more people. They needed to hit it all at once. She needed her other scouts.

Sailor Uranus leapt out of the way, only to feel something metal and sharp slide easily through her fuku and into her skin.

She cried out in pain and fell, looking behind her.

There was nothing.

"Are you alright?" Sailor Moon called to her urgently.

"Yeah," she answered quickly, and then looked down at her side.

The short silver knife was buried deep in her side. She cringed. Where had it come from? She looked back to Sailor Moon, making sure that nothing similar was headed in her direction. She saw the small girl attack and knew she had another moment before she would be needed again.

She reached down and hesitated only a moment before pulling the knife out.

Despite herself, she let out a small moan of pain.

The knife was short. It would hardly have done any damage at all, but it was still a knife that had come from nowhere. She quickly put it in her pocket, hiding it from Sailor Moon.

And then it all stopped.

At the sudden stillness, Sailor Uranus looked back at Sailor Moon, who stood alone in the clearing looking completely baffled.

"What happened?" She called almost angrily.

Sailor Moon walked towards her, worry growing steadily across her face when she saw the blood seeping down her side. But Sailor Uranus snapped her attention upwards, to her face.

"What happened?" She asked again.

"It just disappeared," Sailor Moon said softly.

"You didn't kill it?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't, it was to strong."

Sailor Uranus looked around, feeling a strange calm settle over them that irked her completely. This wasn't right. Why would someone send a monster just to fight for a couple minutes and not win anything? It didn't make any sense.

"Are you badly hurt?" Sailor Moon asked, stepping towards her.

Sailor Uranus dodged her in a sort of awkward jump that sent pain searing through her side, but she kept her face stony.

"I'm fine," she said darkly. "We need to find the others."

Sailor Moon nodded, but the worry didn't leave her eyes. It was fruitless to fight with the older girl, but part of her knew she was hurt worse then she was saying.

"Raye said they were near the mall," Sailor Moon said.

The two girl set out. Sailor Uranus did everything she could not to pay attention to the blood running down her side, or the dizzy sensation that was slowly creeping up on her. She gritted her teeth, focusing on nothing but getting to the others.

* * *

Nothing else happened that night. All the monsters had disappeared at exactly the same time, and all the scouts were left completely baffled. After wondering the city for awhile longer, they decided to call it a night. They made their way slowly back to the house, confused and tired.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Michiru asked Haruka with worry lacing every word.

Haruka hardly answered, just gave one short nod.

"We didn't find anything to help us find Lita," Raye said in dismay.

"Whatever game this woman is playing, she obviously wants us all alive. I'm sure that Lita's somewhere and we'll find her soon," Darien said.

Hotaru related the message to Serena, who tried to smile but failed. She held the rose tightly in her hand, trying to focus on it. He was here. He was sitting in the room with them. She couldn't see him but he was here. Somehow, she needed more than that.

Darien watched her struggle with the situation. He felt his chest pull in her pain.

"We need to get ahead of this woman," Setsuna said. "Each time something's happened we've been totally unprepared for it. It's time to start trying to figure out her next step. Maybe if we can get ahead of her, we'll find out what she's up too."

"What do we know?" Michiru said sitting next to Haruka who was staring straight ahead with an unreadable expression, unmoving.

"She's playing with Serena," Raye said. "She has the ability to make Darien invisible to only her and she's pretty much strong than all of us."

"And she's crazy," Hotaru said lightly.

"What does she have against me?" Serena asked.

Nobody answered.

"They've always got something against you," Haruka said with a tense voice. "You're a perfect little girl with friends all around you and power they can't understand. Who wouldn't have something against you?"

Serena opened her mouth to answer, but then decided against it. What exactly Haruka had meant by that she wasn't sure. She had sounded angry when she said it, like she though the same way. She looked at her, obvious confusion etched across her face.

The rest of the room seemed equally stunned.

"Maybe if she can't get to Serena, then she'll have nothing to play with," Raye said. "Serena could leave, or we could hide her somewhere."

"She'll just come after us knowing it would hurt her," Setsuna said.

"We have to figure out her end game," Michiru said. "It's the only way we'll figure this out."

"This is stupid," Haruka said.

Everyone in the room looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

Haruka stood up, wincing in pain, and walked curtly out of the room.

The room was silent.

Serena felt a little like she had just been slapped.

"I think she's hurt worse then she's letting on," Michiru said quickly. "She just needs some rest."

Serena could see the worry in her eyes, but she didn't move.

"I'm going to the hospital," Serena said after a few minutes more. "When Amy and Mina wake up, I want to be there. Raye, you should get some sleep. Why don't we all regroup for now and we'll find Lita tomorrow."

She didn't wait for an answer, just got up and walked slowly from the room.

Hotaru followed her, walking a step behind her, not saying anything.

Serena looked back at the young girl and tried to smile at her, but she could feel the action strain her face. When was the last time she had truly smiled?

* * *

Haruka gritted her teeth against the pain as she cleaned the wound. She looked down at her blood dripping from her side, soaking the top of her pants. She felt a cold shudder go through her as she bandaged it tightly. She felt weak. Her hands shook in front of her, and she knew that her face was pulled tight and pale.

She was angry that she had let her guard down for long enough to get hurt so badly, and the anger seemed to course through her.

There was a soft tapping on the door.

"Go away," she said in a low voice.

"Haruka, are you alright."

Haruka didn't answer. Michiru would understand that she didn't want to talk to anyone right now. That's what she always did, she understood. She would not push her, she never did. She was kind and gentle no matter what the situation. Did she only know those emotions?

She felt the world start to spin around her and made sure her stance was strong and sturdy. She had almost let Serena down. If she had fallen, Serena would have been there alone, fighting for her life. She needed to learn how to fight alone, it was the key to winning this whole battle, but not like this.

Haruka splashed water on her face, shaking.

Serena had to learn. She had to learn to fight based on hate.

She had to learn.

To be alone.

To deal with betrayal.

* * *

Serena sat with Amy and Mina in the cool darkness of the hospital room. Hotaru sat quietly on Amy's bed, watching the blue haired girl breath in and out. Her eyes were focused completely on her, and Serena knew she was in her own world.

"I wish you guys were awake," she said softly.

The room was quiet, unmoving.

"Lita's still out there somewhere and I'm afraid we'll never find her."

She felt tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I gave up on you," she sniffed. "If I had known you were alive, I swear I would have never stopped fighting. I would have……..I would have found you."

"You always blame yourself, even if it wasn't your fault," Hotaru said.

Serena looked at the young girl who now had her eyes focused on her.

"They wouldn't blame you," she said.

"I know," Serena said sadly. "But I do."

Hotaru watched her for a moment, and then looked back at Amy, leaving Serena to ponder her own thoughts.

They sat there, in silence.

The door slowly opened.

Serena looked towards it, wondering who was there.

Seiya peaked in.

Serena felt her heart freeze in her chest when she saw him. In all this time, she hadn't called him at all. She had completely forgotten him. And yet here he was.

Seiya ran towards her quickly, wrapping his arms around her.

"I just heard," he said softly.

Serena felt his warmth completely overtake her, comforting and protecting her. It was everything that he had ever been to her, warm and loving, and yet she was terrified. She looked at Hotaru, who shook her head softly. Darien was not in the room.

Part of her was relieved, and the other part was dissapointed.

she tried to focus on Seiya, but even when he was right here, beside her, she couldn't.

"Why didn't you call me?" He asked, pulling away from her lightly.

Serena felt guilt wash over her. She hadn't called him because she didn't know what she was going to tell him.

"I…." She started. "I just got caught up…..I mean, I didn't think…….It's just…"

"I understand," he said. "You were so focused on them that you didn't think of it," he smiled gently at her. He had such a wonderful smile. "Are they all back?"

Serena shook her head. "No Lita, no yet." He understood. She had ignored him and yet he understood.

"But you think she's alive as well?"

Serena nodded.

Seiya sat beside her, keeping his arm around her shoulders so she could rest on him. He was there only to support her. She felt so guilty. She felt like a horrible person. She shouldn't have led him on. Of course she thought Darien was dead, but some part of her had always known she couldn't be with Seiya. Why had she allowed him to hope? Why had she let him in? And now it was too late. Now she had gone to far and she was going to hurt him.

The pain of that seemed to completely overtake her and she felt herself crying again. He wrapped his arms around her, saying soothing things and kissing her temple. He would hate her if he knew.

She opened her mouth to speak. She had to tell him. She had to. It wasn't fair to him. He still thought they were together.

She couldn't. She couldn't loose another friend.

* * *

End of Chapter Six!

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: Okay, here's the next chapter. It's not as long as they usually are, but the next chapter is already in the works so should be up pretty soon. Thank you for all the reviews.

* * *

Haruka felt darkness float over her as she lay in bed, covered in sweat. Pain seemed to have settled through her long limps, spreading from her side to cover every inch of her body. She breathed in deeply, trying to steady herself, but her lungs stretched painfully with each breath.

She looked over at Michiru, resting peacefully beside her. For a moment she admired her pure delicate skin, knowing how it felt to touch.

And then her attention was snapped back to her wound again as it burned into her side. She felt an uncontrollable anger pulse through her. How could she have allowed herself to get hurt? Why didn't she notice the knife? Where had it come from?

She clenched her jaw in frustration.

And the darkness swirled around her.

She was briefly aware of it, wondering why it was around her. And then it didn't seem to matter as it settled on her, suffocating her with anger.

"Are you alright?"

Haruka looked at Michiru again, seeing her beautiful eyes open and wide. She looked away immediately, not able to control her anger. Despite what she knew she should feel to see Michiru looking at her, she was frustrated that she had woken her up.

"Haruka, if you're hurt we should….."

"I'm fine."

Haruka felt Michiru jump slightly beside her. She had been surprised herself at the low and coarse sound of her voice. It seemed to echo harshly through the room, gritting against the walls and jarring the glass of the windows.

Michiru looked at her with concern. Haruka was almost loathe to admit that the look annoyed her.

"Why would you lie to me?" She asked.

Haruka didn't answer.

"You and I don't keep secrets," she said softly. "Why would you start now?"

Haruka closed her eyes, feeling her head ache with the effort of trying to ignore the pain within her. Her body felt stiff.

"We have to teach Serena to fight on her own," she said, trying to control her voice but failing.

"She's not a child anymore Haruka, she can take care of herself."

"She's weak," she snarled.

"Haruka!" Michiru sat up in bed, immediately alert. "How can you think such a thing? She's succeeded where others have failed time and time again. You used to say she was as strong as anyone. She's capable of….."

Haruka sat up quickly and stood up off the bed, walking towards the window. "She will never learn with us constantly babying her."

"You're acting insane Haruka. You can't possibly believe what you say."

It made sense. Haruka tried to think of why it made sense. Why shouldn't she believe what she was saying? It was crazy. Why was it crazy? She couldn't for the life of her think of why it might seem crazy to Michiru. It was so painfully obvious to her.

Pain seemed to rocket through her and she did everything she could not to cry out.

"I'm going out," she said suddenly, striding from the room.

"What?" Michiru said surprised and started to go after her, but Haruka slammed the bedroom door nearly hitting her. Michiru was left standing in the room, shock written all over her face.

Something's wrong.

* * *

Serena could hear Raye breathing beside her in the large double bed that they were sharing in the large house. Every breath Raye took sent shivers through Serena. She had seemed so healthy and strong a few days ago, and now she was weakening. And what was worse, Mina and Amy were still unconscious. Lita was still missing and now Haruka was hurt worse then she wanted to admit. She was loosing her scouts all over again.

She stood up as softly as possible, trying not to wake Raye. She walked over and leaned against the window sill, looking out at the full moon in the sky. It shone brightly, as if nothing in the world could harm its happiness.

She felt the warmth of the moon sooth her. It was so far away, and yet part of her could still feel it, calling out to her and supporting her. She closed her eyes, drinking it in. As long as the moon was in the sky, she had something to hold on to.

Serena looked down when she heard the front door close and saw Haruka pull on her jacket before walking quickly down the sidewalk.

She furrowed her brow. What was Haruka doing out so late at night? Part of her wanted to go after her, but she couldn't leave Raye. Serena looked back at the dark haired girl sleeping in her bed and watched her breath in and out. Shadows seemed to cover her features, obscuring her beautiful face.

She felt the weight of the situation crash down on her again. Never in her life had she ever been this stressed.

Something was going to happen. It had to.

She sat like the for awhile, not letting her mind worry. If she focused on Darien, it was like everything would be alright somehow. If she sat there and thought of seeing him again, the feelings that grew within her seemed to warm her as he always had been able to. She wondered how he was handling this whole thing, being able to see her but not having her see him. It must be hard. Harder than her situation. Especially because he had seen her with Seiya.

Clenching her eyes shut, she gave out a shuddering sigh.

Both Serena and Raye gave out a little yelp of surprise when their communicators went off at the same time.

Raye looked at Serena in surprise.

"Maybe Amy and Mina are awake," Serena said rushing to hers. Suddenly hope coursed through her and she could hardly breath. Raye looked over her shoulder.

Serena held her breath, hoping to see a friendly face.

But there was nothing there.

"What's going on?" Raye asked after a moment.

"It's the ground," Serena said in confusion.

The small computer screen showed the grown. Dark green grass was cloaked in shadows and a small rock clicked against the screen. And then it moved. The ground seemed to swish by and then they were looking at trees.

"It's the park," Raye said frowning.

Serena got up quickly, grabbing Raye and pulling her out of the room. She banged on the bedroom doors as she ran by, alerting the remaining scouts of the situation. She was already at the end of the hall when the doors started opening.

"We're needed in the park," she screamed.

* * *

Darien stepped into the shadows when Haruka stopped to look around her. Her steady gaze drifted around, never resting on anything. And then she started to walk again.

He hadn't really intended to follow her, but it just occurred to him that something was wrong and he had to find out what. Since she had been wounded, Haruka wasn't acting like herself. She was acting……cold. She had never been one to show much emotion, but she had always been caring. It worried him.

They made their way into the park and into a small clearing. He looked around realizing that there wasn't a place for him to stay out of site. So instead he stayed back even farther, waiting for her to cross through it. She never did.

Instead she stopped and once again looked around.

Darien furrowed his brow, trying to decide whether or not he should show himself. If Haruka was in trouble he wanted to help her. Since he had been back, she and Michiru had done everything they could to help him get through this.

He thought of Serena. Loosing her friends had been so hard on her. Loosing another one might destroy her completely. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let anything harm her again.

He stepped forward slightly but stopped.

He could feel it in the air, like an electric charge. Power radiate around him.

Panic shot through him.

"Haruka!" He called.

The girl turned to him in surprise before a monster came crashing through the trees right towards her.

* * *

Serena could hardly breath as she ran, anticipation filling her. Her communicator had already gone black, stopping them from seeing whatever was happening. Amy and Mina had probably started a message and then gotten distracted and not been able to finish it. That had to be it.

The sounds of a battle started to envelope her and she ran as quickly as possible, trying to get there to save her friends. Her heart was in her throat and nervousness washed through her mingled with fear. What if they were to late?

When she saw the monster, she didn't hesitated she attacked.

It seemed like all around her she could hear her scouts fighting.

'dead scream'

'deep submerge'

'fire arrow'

She felt the heat from the attacks soar past her, mixing with her own and she smiled. The monster would have no chance.

'world shaking'

Sailor Moon looked at Sailor Uranus in shock as her attack successfully stopped theirs from hitting the monster. The tall scout stood stony to the side, watching.

"Why did you do that?" Sailor Neptune demanded.

The air felt super charged with tension and Sailor Moon thought that there was something else going on. Something wasn't right.

"She has to learn," Sailor Uranus said. Her voice was low and menacing. It wasn't like Haruka at all. It sent fear through them all.

The monster roared and charged towards them. They had to jump out of the way to avoid being killed. The monster turned on Sailor Moon, cutting her off from the rest of the group.

"Get up!" Sailor Uranus yelled. "Get up and face him."

She felt confusion wash over her.

She heard them start to fight. Sailor Neptune yelled at Sailor Uranus and it sounded as if they were trying to fight with her, but were being stopped. She heard them call out their attacks, but nothing hit the monster that was leering at her. She couldn't see any of them.

All to soon the monster was attacking again, and she felt fear grip her as she dodged out of the way.

Suddenly she felt completely alone. Her vision was completely taken up by the looming monster in front of her and her scouts seemed so far away.

For a moment she froze.

It was as if the world stopped around her.

And then it was over, and her soldier side took over. She stood up quickly, attacking the monster in front of her and bracing herself against the drain in energy that always accompanied her attacks.

It screamed in pain, but it didn't die.

She needed to weaken it.

She quickly looked around, for something, anything. She needed help.

She easily leapt away, attacking again, always hitting it. She was strong enough to do this.

She stumbled when the thing attacked her again and felt pain shoot through her arm as she landed on a rock. She cried out, and scramble to hide behind a tree as another attack closed down on her.

Where were her scouts?

Sailor Moon took in her surroundings. If only she could find a way to distract it so she could have enough time to summon her energy to deliver a fatal blow. She knew she was strong enough, but she needed something, anything. What would distract the monster. It obviously wasn't interested in the other scouts, wherever they were.

And then it happened.

'Oak evolution'

Sailor Moon felt her breath catch in her throat as the power of the attack shot all around her, deafening. She heard the monster call out in pain and nearly fall.

Sailor Moon tried not to freeze. This was her only chance. She quickly summoned up her powers and attacked the thing with everything she had. In one glorified show of lights the thing lay in rubble on the ground. It was over.

And there she stood.

Sailor Moon gazed at her, in awe and shock.

"Sorry I'm late," Lita said. Her brown hair was messy around her and her skin was pale, but she had an excited glimmer in her green eyes that sent thrills of excitement through Serena. She hesitated only a second before throwing herself at the taller girl and enveloping her in an almost desperate hug.

Lita laughed as she pulled her in close, feeling tears in her eyes.

"Lita," she cried. "What happened? Where were you?"

Lita laughed at her. "I was with the other girls, Mina and Amy. I tried to protect Amy but then they took me away. I fought them. Before they could lock me up I managed to get free."

"You escaped?" Serena looked up at her in awe.

"I got really lost," Lita said. "It took me forever to find my way out of there."

Despite the situation, Lita still looked exactly like Lita. The glint in her eye was the same, the carefree smile was the same and the strength she used to hug her was exactly the same. This was Lita.

"I was beginning to loose hope," Serena said.

"I don't believe that for a second," Lita said. "Of everyone I've ever known, you are the one that can find hope in any situation."

And then Serena felt herself being ripped away from Lita and thrown unceremoniously on the ground.

"Haruka stop!" Michiru yelled.

Serena looked up to see Haruka push Lita down onto the ground and stand over her menacingly.

"What are you doing?" She said startled.

"She has to fight on her own," Haruka said to Lita.

"What?" Lita looked up startled.

"When this comes to an end, she will die, and it will be your fault."

Lita didn't move. She just looked up at the angry scout confused and a little afraid.

Michiru stepped towards Haruka and grabbed hold of her arm.

Serena gasped at the resounding slap that echoed through the hallow night air.

Michiru held a hand to her face, staring in shock at Haruka. Haruka had spun around at hit her. Her angry eyes were almost crazy.

Nobody else moved.

"Are you insane?" Hotaru asked.

Haruka didn't even look upset at what she'd done. Her eyes had suddenly turned stony and emotionless as she gazed emptily at the woman she was supposed to love.

Serena stood up slowly, wary of even moving.

"Why are you acting like this?" Serena asked softly. "Haruka, you're scaring me."

"Good," she said harshly. "Maybe if you're scared, you'll learn to fight."

And with that she was gone.

The group of girls watched her run from the clearing, leaving them all behind.

"What is going on?" Lita asked after a moment.

Serena looked at Michiru, seeing the girls shock still lingering on her face.

"I don't understand," Michiru said softly.

Serena took her hand, trying to comfort her. They were all confused, but Michiru had gone almost deathly pale. The angry red mark from Haruka's hand stained her cheek savagely and she could almost imagine how much pain it would cause.

"I'm sure this can be explained," Serena said.

"I don't think this is normal," Setsuna said. "I think there's something much darker at work here."

Raye and Lita stood together behind Serena. Raye took Lita's hand, comforting her.

"Just so you know," Raye said softly. "Serena knows that Darien is here but she can't see him. Long story, I'll explain later, just don't really acknowledge him until she's out of the room okay."

Lita looked at Raye curiously, and nodded.

"Where's Amy and Mina?" Lita asked.

"At the hospital," Hotaru answered. "They haven't woken up yet."

"Let's go home," Serena said. "I'm sure she'll come home and have a good explanation. Haruka wouldn't do something like this without a reason."

Michiru nodded and then blankly turned around and started walking home.

"Do you think this is because of her injury?" Setsuna asked softly.

Serena nodded. "I didn't see how she got it."

"I think it's safe to assume it has something to do with this woman we're up against," Raye said. "It seems like a stunt she would pull."

"So now she has the ability to make us turn on each other," Hotaru said. "She's getting scarier."

* * *

End of chapter seven!

Reviews please! The next chapter is on it's way. If you send me reviews I'll be motivated to write it faster!


	8. Chapter 8

Title DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: Here's my next chapter everyone. Hope you like it. We're getting close to a conclusion. I promise it's coming up. Let me know what you think! I'm so sorry this one took so long. The next one is already on it's way.

* * *

Darien felt the build of the situation as if it were unfolding in front of him, and yet he still couldn't grasp it completely. It all surrounded Serena. It was like she wore a cloak of darkness and she couldn't see it well enough to fight it. Mina and Amy were still unconscious, Haruka hadn't returned and to make it all worse, Raye was getting worse. It was certain now. The fiery girl was getting weaker. If she continued to deteriorate, she wouldn't be able to fight at all. The one good thing in all this mess was that Lita seemed relatively unmarred despite the whole thing. In fact, she acted as if nothing had really happened at all. Whether she was in shock or denial he couldn't tell, but it seemed to ground Serena and he was glad for it.

Michiru had gone up to her room and wouldn't say anything at all. He assumed she was still in shock. None of them could believe that Haruka had hit her. It was just completely unthinkable. A few days ago she had been fine, fighting as usual. Now it seemed she had turned on Serena.

And Serena.

He could see the tension build more and more in her eyes. Even though she smiled at her friends and comforted them as much as possible, he could see the strain. She needed help. She could do this on her own, but she shouldn't have to.

Darien walked over to sit gently next to Hotaru. The little girl had become serious as of late and it was almost as unnerving as when she had been smiling. Her dark eyes were wide and open, seeing something that none of them could. He wondered what she was thinking and yet a part of him was terrified to find out.

He took a deep breath.

"Hotaru, I need you to do something for me," he said softly.

"You want me to call Seiya."

He wasn't really surprised that she had figured it out, but it still sent shivers through him. "She needs him."

"She needs you," Hotaru said softly.

"I can't be there the way she needs me to be."

"Alright," she said. "I'll call him. He'll come over and he'll comfort her. But you know that you're using him. She can't love him the way she loves you and yet you're bringing him here."

"Am I supposed to care how much I hurt him?" He asked.

Hotaru looked at him. "Are you so cold hearted?"

"We're going to get through this," he said. "And when we do I'll find a way to make it up to him. I understand what it's like to loose the person you love, but if I was in his position I would want to be there for her even if she might not love me back."

Hotaru nodded and didn't say anymore.

Darien hated everything about this situation. He hated it all. There had to be something he could do to help. He felt useless. He couldn't even aid her in a fight. He had tried the day before, but nothing he did affected her.

He caught Lita's eyes across the room. The deep green seemed to flash at him, giving him a hidden message that he couldn't decipher. She stood up and walked quietly from the room. He waited a moment before following her.

"It doesn't seem like they're getting anywhere," Lita said leaning against the wall.

"They're not," he admitted. "Every time we make some sort of plan, something happens to spin it all around again. We can't predict what will happen next."

"I think I can get back to where I was being held," she said. "I remember how I got out. But I can't take everyone. It's too small and I don't have enough energy to lead everyone. But you and I could do it."

Darien didn't know how to answer, but he was suddenly aware of the pounding in his chest.

"If we leave soon, we can be back before anyone knows we're gone," Lita continued.

"If it's as easy as you think it'll be."

"I'm not saying we go there and face this woman and get ourselves killed. But we can go in and find out what she's up to and get ahead of her. We don't tell anyone we're leaving, we just get the information and come back."

Darien nodded, but his brow was furrowed.

"What?"

"The first time something happened was after I had come back and Serena couldn't see me. Haruka got so angry with me, telling me that we couldn't do anything without Serena. It wasn't fair to go behind her back."

Lita nodded. "She's completely flipped on the point now."

"I think she was right."

"You want to take Serena?"

"No," Darien said. "I want to tell her what we're going to do and explain to her why she can't come."

"She'll never let us," Lita argued.

"I think it's better she's prepared for what we might find."

Lita hesitated, but then nodded. "I'll go talk to her. We'll leave as soon as I'm done."

* * *

Serena listened to what Lita said calmly, not interrupting once. Her blue eyes were focused and clear, completely intent on understanding what her friend was telling her.

"Alright," she said when Lita finished.

Lita looked at her in shock. "Alright?" She asked.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, alright."

Lita stuttered for a moment. "I thought you would argue."

"Do you want me to?" She asked.

"Well no, I just thought you would. Usually you get angry when we decide to do things without you, or you know, dangerous."

"With everything that's happened do you honestly expect me to be the same as I used to be?" She asked. "Lita, if you and Darien can really find out what's going on and find us a chance to fight it, then I'm all for it. If you think the best way to do that is to leave me here, then fine. I'll stay and make sure my remaining scouts are alright. You just have to promise me you'll come back."

Lita nodded. "We won't do anything stupid, we're just going to look. No fighting, no battles, just looking."

Serena nodded. "Then be careful."

Serena watched Lita stand up and walk hesitantly out the door. She could tell that her friend wanted to say more, but she didn't. Serena just looked back at Raye who lay on the bed, watching her with weak eyes.

"Are we going to make it through this?" Raye asked.

Serena shrugged her shoulders. "I'd like to think so."

"If you believe it Serena, then so do I."

"Then I believe it," Serena said gently.

* * *

Darien and Lita found themselves in a very cold very stone room. All around they could smell mold and water, and it seemed to seep deep into their bodies. Both of them were already transformed, ready to fight at a moments notice.

"Do you recognize this place?" Darien asked.

"I remember the smell," she said softly as she moved ahead through the long hall. It was almost to dark to see, but they made their way based on feeling.

"So you said she was alright with it?" Darien asked.

"I have no idea," Lita whispered back. "It was almost creepy. It was like it didn't phase her at all. I said you and I were pretty much going into mortal danger and we weren't allowing her to come with us, and she said 'alright'. It was just….odd."

Darien grabbed Lita when he heard something to the side. They waited holding their breath. But nothing was there.

"Anyway, I was just expecting her to get angry or something. Three years ago she would have fought us until she got her way."

"Apparently she's changed since then."

"I don't believe that for a moment," Lita said crouching down at the end of the tunnel. "I just think she's really stressed right now, like we all are. Once we figure this thing out and kill this woman she'll go right back to the bubbly blond girl we can't help but love."

Part of Darien doubted that. How could anyone heal from something like this? Although, she had before. After Beryl and after Galaxia. Each time she had lost everyone, and each time she had been happy when everyone came back. She had always been able to bounce back. But this was different.

"Here, this is where I came from," Lita said stopping at a door.

"So what now?" Darien asked.

"So now we find where they are," she said pushing the door open slowly. There was another series of tunnels to go through, each one as long as the last.

"I hope you know how to get back," Darien said.

"I do," she said confidently.

He couldn't help but be nervous. This could decide everything. They crept together, through the darkness, and Darien could feel his heart beating the whole time. Right at this moment, he was helping her. It pushed him on, even when he thought they should go back. Part of him thought this was a foolish idea, but if he could save her, he'd give his life to do it.

They could hear voices.

Lita slowed down, almost making Darien run into her. Together they kept in the darkness, following the voice.

He felt a cold shiver of dread go through him when he saw her. Her midnight black hair seemed to disappear into the shadows and her stormy blue eyes held nothing but cold, emotionless evil in them. And in front of her were at least eight of the blue haired woman he had first scene the day he woke up. All identical. All demonic.

"That's not good," Lita whispered.

* * *

Serena knocked softly on Michiru's door, hoping to hear the soft voice of her friend again. But there was nothing. There was no crying, no sound, no movement at all.

"Michiru?" Serena said softly through the door. "Please let me in."

Nothing.

She tried the door but it was still locked.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, trying to sound chipper. "Lita made us all dinner tonight. There's still some left if you want it. I can warm it up for you."

Still nothing.

"Michiru, please let me know you're alright."

Still nothing.

Serena sighed, feeling hopeless. She walked back down the hallway, padding softly on the carpet. The whole house seemed calm and somehow depressed. Nothing moved. Raye had fallen back asleep, Lita was gone and Setsuna was searching through time and space. She might not be back for hours or even days. All that was left was Hotaru, and the little girl seemed to have decided this was indeed a bad situation and sat motionless on the couch, staring into the night.

The house didn't even react when the doorbell rang.

Serena went to answer it, pulling the door open to reveal Seiya.

She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Thank god," Seiya said. "Part of me was terrified that Haruka would answer the door."

Serena just stared at him.

His smile faded.

"I guess you weren't expecting me," he said curiously. "Hotaru called me. She said Darien said you needed a friend. Have they all gone crazy?"

Seiya watched her carefully.

"Serena?"

"What are you doing here?"

Seiya walked in past her, never breaking eye contact. "I just told you that Hotaru called me."

"Darien asked you to come?" She said breathlessly.

"No, Hotaru did. She said Darien asked her to. Which is impossible, right?"

She didn't answer. She couldn't. She felt like she was in shock.

"Is he here?"

"I'm not ready for this," Serena said suddenly.

"Okay," Seiya said frowning. "Ready for what?"

"Seiya, you need to go. I'm sorry, but I just can't……I don't think I can deal with this right now. I need to believe that you don't hate me."

"What? I don't hate you."

"But if you do, then you won't be there anymore."

"Serena, you're not making any sense. Why would I hate you?"

He could see her start to cry.

"Serena, stop, you're being insane." He quickly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him tightly. "What's going on with you?"

She wouldn't answer. She just cried into his chest.

He felt fear grip him. The last time he had seen her like this was when her friends had died. When Darien had died.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go for a walk."

She didn't fight him as he pulled her back outside and into the fresh air. She still cried, walking beside him, wrapped in his arms. He was afraid for her. He was afraid that she might completely loose it.

They walked for awhile, finally getting to the spot in the park they had loved to sit and talk for hours at a time. Perhaps it would do something to cheer her up.

Her tears slowly turned silent, and although she was still crying, she seemed to have mellowed.

They sat down together, saying nothing.

It took a long time for Seiya to find the nerve to say anything.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

She didn't answer.

He swallowed. "Even if I promise not to hate you."

"You will," Serena said.

"Okay, well then I promise to try and see it from your point of view and accept it."

Serena stayed silent.

"Please Serena, you're starting to make me anxious. What happened?"

"Darien's back," she whispered.

He looked at her, wide eyed. "That's impossible," he whispered.

"Is it?" Serena asked. "The girls are all back, you've seen them yourself. That's just as impossible."

"I haven't seen Darien."

"Neither have I," she said. "But he's here."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I wasn't at first," she said softly. "But I am now."

Seiya fought against realizing what she was implying by all of this. Darien was back. Darien is here somewhere. And Serena……

"So you're going back to him," he said finally.

"It's not the simple," Serena said. "Even if I can't, that doesn't change how I feel about him. No matter what happens, I will love him for my whole life, and anyone else will always be second."

Seiya stayed silent.

"I honestly thought I could get over him," she said. "I thought that…..I though we…."

"But you were wrong," he finished for her

"I'm sorry," she said.

Seiya nodded. "It's not your fault."

Serena felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched him. His eyes had gone dark and any trace of a smile was gone from his face. She felt weak.

"Do you hate me?"

He looked at her calmly, hiding the emotion from her that converged in his mind.

"No," he said taking her hand in his. "I could never hate you."

Serena looked up at him and smiled gently, but it hardly reached her eyes. Part of her didn't believe him. She loved the relationship she had with him. If it changed she would be devastated. She did love him, just not that way.

"So what now?" He asked smiling softly.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I have no idea what's going to happen."

"Well then at least it's going to be an adventure."

Serena couldn't help but smile. "I suppose so."

"Come on," he said standing up. "Let's eat our weight in ice cream, or go to arcade and spend everything we have on the Sailor V game. The future can always weight until later."

She let him pull her to her feet.

"We don't have to figure out everything right now," he said seriously.

She nodded. "Thanks."

She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have a friend like him. In this moment she felt almost.....calm. He didn't hate her. She hadn't lost him.

Suddenly Serena felt fear grip her as a monstrous roar sounded behind them. She looked up to see a monster headed straight for them.

She pushed Seiya out of the way, despite his cry of surprise, and lept out of the way herself. The thing crashed through the bench they had been sitting on and swung itself around.

"You have to transform," Seiya said quickly.

She did, but Seiya didn't.

"What are you doing?" Sailor Moon asked. "You can't fight like that."

"I'm going to distract it. Wait for my move, and then hit it as hard as you can," he said. She didn't have time to argue. He lept away from her and was running across the field, his long hair whipping behind him.

She had only a moment to hesitate before she ran around and got into place.

She heard Seiya call out, and felt her heart pound in her chest.

She spun around to attack.

Sailor Moon called out in pain as something hit her hard from behind. She fell painfully to the earth, clenching her teeth. She looked behind her to see the woman with blue hair they had killed when they saved Amy and Mina.

She heard Seiya cry out and barely had enough time to jump out of the way before the other monster came at her again. As soon as she landed, the woman with blue hair attacked again, sending her hurtling through the air. She landed with a thud on the grass and quickly pushed herself up.

Everything hurt.

She looked around for Seiya and saw him lying on the grass a few feet away.

"Seiya!" She called. He didn't move.

She went to run to him, but the woman attacked again, and she was forced to jump out of the way.

This was not happening. Seiya had to be alright. What had happened to him? How had he fallen?

She turned her attention back to the monster as it charged at her and attacked.

She put everything she had into her attack, feeling the crystal spark to life within her. It pulsed through her, magnifying with her anger. Nobody hurt Seiya.

The monster screamed out as it was hit, falling to the ground in pain. She didn't stop until it was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Then she turned on the woman in blue.

"Very good," the woman said smiling. "You're not completely useless."

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"Me? I don't want anything. I'm just following orders."

"Then what does your boss want?" She countered.

"Didn't really explain," she said smiling. "Something about proving you're weak. She doesn't really need to prove anything, you do it yourself."

Sailor Moon felt anger boil within her. "What does she want with my friends?"

"All these questions. Do you really think I'll answer them?"

"Fine, then I don't need you anymore."

Sailor Moon attacked as quickly as she could, not allowing the woman time to move out of the way. When it hit her, she cried out but didn't die. Serena had to put everything she was into it. The crystal started to pull painfully against her, and she felt it weaken her.

Suddenly the world started to go dark.

She gritted her teeth, trying not to let the drain in energy get to her. But she couldn't hold on. She couldn't keep this going. The crystal strained along with her, just as determined not to give up. She couldn't give up.

'oak evolution'

Sailor Moon felt Sailor Jupiter's power send a burst of strength through her, successfully defeating the woman. She gave one savage scream of pain before being completely defeated.

When her power had stopped, she fell to the ground.

Sailor Jupiter was beside her in a moment.

"Serena?" She called urgently.

Serena looked up at her friend, feeling the darkness start to swirl in front of her. She couldn't stay conscious. She was so tired. She was to tired to hold on. She let her head roll back into the grass.

And then she saw him.

Darien rushed to her side, his eyes wide and afraid. Serena breathed out in shock, starring up at him. His black hair hung down, as glossy as she remembered it. He was there. He was looking down at her with eyes full of love.

It was as if the world stopped.

Serena couldn't take her eyes off of him. The look of surprised seemed to wash over him, and she was captured by it. He was there.

He reached towards her and she felt the soft flutter of his fingers against her cheek, warm and smooth. She felt a tear fall softly down her cheek. He looked amazed, almost as if he couldn't believe she was there.

"Darien," she breathed out.

And then blackness completely took her over.

* * *

End of Chapter Eight.

Please review! Please!


	9. Chapter 9

Title: DARK DECEIVER

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: I'm so sorry this story is taking me so long. I just need things to die down for a couple of days and then I can finish it. Anyway, hope you like this chapter. Please review. I love hearing what you think.

* * *

"You can touch her!" Lita said incredulously as she watched Darien wrap his arms around her and lifted her swiftly off the ground. She could see by the wideness of his eyes that he could hardly believe it. "How can you touch her?"

"I don't know," he said breathlessly, not taking his eyes off her. "We have to get her home. The crystal drained her. She needs to rest."

"But Darien, she saw you."

"I know Lita," he said startling her with his angry voice. "And now she's unconscious. Let's just get her back to the house and tell the others what we found out."

Lita nodded. "What about Seiya?" She asked.

The two looked towards where the man had been lying, but he was gone.

"Where was he?" Darien asked startled.

"Right there," Lita said pointing to an empty patch of grass. "I saw him when we came up."

"You didn't see where he went?"

"Well I was a little focused on Serena, sorry."

"Let's just go," Darien said. "We'll get Hotaru to call him and see if he made it home. If not, we'll come back and look for him."

"Serena's going to be upset if he's not alright," she said in a worried voice.

"We'll find him," Darien insisted.

Darien could hardly focus on what Lita was trying to tell him. The feeling of Serena in his arms sent waves of electricity through him. He was so aware of her soft skin against his and the tickle of her hair against his arms that he was having a hard time standing straight. She had seen him. She had looked up and seen him. How?

He was afraid. He never liked admitting that he was afraid, but this time he was. He was afraid that it had been an illusion. He was afraid that when she woke up, it would go back to before. He was terrified.

Lita raced ahead of him, clearing the way for Serena into the house.

"What happened?" Raye said standing at the top of the stairs. Hotaru sat on the couch, unmoving.

"She had to use the crystal. It drained her," Lita said.

"But you can touch her," Raye said.

Raye yelped as Darien pushed past her on his way to her room. Lita quickly helped her up, and the two of them followed Darien down the hall and into Serena's room.

He laid her down softly, letting her head rest against the pillow. But then he couldn't let go.

He sort of half crouched beside her, half holding her and completely frozen.

What if this was it? What if he would never be able to touch her again? If he took even one step away from her, what if he couldn't get back?

"Find the other scouts," Darien said softly. His eyes never left Serena. "We have some information."

"There isn't anyone to find," Raye said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Lita asked.

Raye looked so tired. Her skin was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. "Mina and Amy are still in the hospital. Haruka is gone, and now Michiru's gone. Setsuna is searching through time and space looking for clues. That leaves me and Lita. We're it."

Darien breathed out, feeling disbelief swell within him.

"What about Hotaru?" Lita asked.

"She hasn't moved. She's been sitting on that couch, staring into nothing. I can't even get her to blink."

Darien gently pushed Serena over and got into the bed next to her, kicking off his shoes in the process. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Her warmth seeped into him, calming him. Her could smell the sweat scent of roses around her, and her hair still smelled of her shampoo. He breathed in deeply, trying to pull her as close to him as possible.

"What are we going to do?" Lita asked.

Darien knew the question was directed at him. The two girls were looking at him for answers. If Serena were awake, they would look to her, but she wasn't. He knew it was his responsibility to come up with something, but what could they do. If it was just the four of them they wouldn't survive.

"We have to find a way to get the scouts together again," Darien said softly. "Serena is going to have to use the crystal again and she'll need all of us to give her the strength."

"Whatever this woman has planned, it's working," Raye said. "We didn't even realize that we were spreading so thin. She's managed to make as a group of four when we started with at least ten."

"I'll go look for Haruka and Michiru," Lita said softly. "Raye, I know you're tired, but maybe you could go to the hospital and see if Amy and Mina are improving at all. We need them to come out of this."

Raye nodded and quickly left the room.

"Will you be alright?" Lita asked.

Darien just nodded. "When she wakes up we'll see where we are."

Lita left then, leaving Darien alone in the room with Serena. He brushed the hair from her face lightly, feeling the softness of her pale skin. Everything about her in this moment seemed so perfect. He could feel his heart ache painfully in his chest, calling out to her. He felt the tears come to his eyes, and he fought against them.

He closed his eyes and dreamed. He pretended that at this moment, it was just the two of them. Nothing else was going on. It was early morning, and he was waking up with her in his arms and any moment she would wake up and smile at him. Her beautiful blue eyes would look directly at him and she would smile.

And despite his best efforts, the tears fell silently down his cheeks.

* * *

Haruka groaned as she pulled herself up off the ground. She couldn't remember falling, but she felt the bruises starting to form on her sides. Her clothes were dirty, and all around her there were trees and dirt.

The pain from the wound in her side throbbed dully, and she tensed against it.

When she closed her eyes, she only saw one thing. She saw the way Michiru had looked at her when she had slapped her.

Haruka winced as the slap sounded in her mind, echoing through the emptiness of darkness.

Guilt washed over her. Why had she hit her?

Haruka started walking through the trees, feeling like she had just awoken from the worst dream she had ever had. She remembered the anger of Lita helping Serena during the battle. Why had she felt like that? Serena needed to fight on her own, but that wasn't the way she was going to learn. They couldn't just throw her out there and watch her suffer. Why had she been so angry?

She came to the edge of the small treed area quickly and gazed out over the city. She wasn't sure where she was, but she was a long way from home. And she was a long way from Michiru.

"Please understand that it wasn't me," she begged into the night. "I didn't mean it."

She felt a cold shiver go over her. She needed to see her. She needed to apologize. She needed to tell Michiru how much she meant to her.

She started walking out into the city, determined to set things right again.

A sound behind her caused her to tense in anticipation of a fight, and the pain that throbbed through her at the movement almost made her cry out. But she gritted her teeth and looked at the blue haired woman who came towards her.

"Who are you?" She said in a low voice.

The blue haired woman just smiled. "You all ask so many questions."

Haruka just clenched her jaw and waited. If the blue haired woman was here for a reason, then it would come out.

"You did very well," she said with a giggle.

Haruka just glared.

"Your anger was way more affective then we could have hoped. Not only did you drive yourself away from you fearless leader and injure her in the process, you also totally separated yourself from the other scouts. They hate you now."

Haruka didn't say anything.

"And I didn't even manipulate you very much. I just allowed your anger to blossom within you until you couldn't think about anything else. It was very clever of me, don't you think?"

Haruka stayed as still as possible. She wanted to beat this woman to a pulp, but now that the anger seemed to be gone, she knew she needed to find out as much as possible before going back to the others.

"And now, you're girlfriend has deserted the rest."

Haruka felt the words hit her hard and fast so that she was nearly winded. "What?"

"Oh! Didn't you hear?" She could hear the mocking as the woman giggled. "You're little stunt upset her so much that she took off and the others can't find her. Of course I know where she is, but I'm not going to tell."

"If you even think about touching her, I'll……"

"You'll what?" The woman asked smiling. "You'll hit her again?"

Haruka clenched her fists, willing herself not to attack. But all she could see was the hurt in Michiru's face.

"All we want is the little moon princess to fall. If she can't take her place in this world, then someone else will have to step in."

And that was it. Haruka felt her shoulders finally relax and she smiled softly to herself. That was what this was all about. Power. Another stupid, hungry power struggle. Only this time they wanted Serena to bow out instead of right out defeating her. At least they weren't quite as stupid as the rest of them.

"So that's it," Haruka said feeling a weight lift off of her.

The woman frowned.

"That's what this is all about. Your boss wants Serena to give up her title. That's all she wants?"

The woman seemed to take a step back.

"Do you honestly think that we'd turn against her and have her believe that we're not there for her?" Haruka said. "Do you honestly think that Serena is sitting at home right now, crying and helpless? You're a bunch of fools."

Anger crept over her face.

"Funny how when I stopped asking questions, you gave me every answer I could ever want."

The woman opened her mouth like she was going to talk, and then shut it.

"At a loss for words?" Haruka smiled.

The woman just seemed to snarl as she lept out of the way, leaving a monster in her place.

Haruka transformed quickly. She really needed to pummel something right now, and get all her anger out. She was ready for a fight.

* * *

Raye walked slowly into the quiet room where two of her best friends were lying in beds hooked up to what seemed like a thousands wires. Amy's skin was so pale it was almost white, and Mina's hair was a mess around her. But they both looked calm.

Raye sat on Mina's bed, between the two of them and sighed.

"Alright you guys," she said softly. "If there was ever a time she needed us, it's now."

Neither of them moved.

Raye put her head down, feeling like a weight was pushing her towards the floor. She had felt it for days, and yet she had tried to fight against it. Her energy level was dropping and she knew it, but still she was trying to fight it.

She sighed, feeling tired.

"You know," she said softly. "The last couple of fights we've had, we've managed to get killed or captured so that Serena has had to fight either with strangers or completely alone. This time we actually have a chance to be there for her, and yet here we are, either unconscious or to tired to move."

The monitors beeped steadily in the room.

"I wish you guys could see her now. She's matured a lot. You would think that was a good thing, but she doesn't smile as often anymore. I don't think she can be happy without her friends and family. She'll try, but she's not meant to be alone."

Raye felt herself start to cry.

"I don't know what this woman did to you guys, but you have to fight it. I know you're probably as tired as I am, but it doesn't matter. When I think of her I still feel strong. She needs you to come out of this and help her. She needs her scouts to stand beside her again."

Amy's dark blue hair caught the light coming through the blinds and Raye realized that the sun was high in the sky.

She felt defeated. Here she was, alone, trying to reason with two unconscious friends. She went gently to the window and opened it, letting the sun and warm are in. It hadn't been this warm since she'd come back. In fact, they were supposed to be moving on to winter. She breathed in deeply, smelling flowers in the air. That was unusual.

Raye opened her eyes when she felt suddenly warm all over and turned around back into the room. There was nothing there.

She opened the door and looked out into the hallway, but there was nobody there. Nobody at all.

"I think something's going on guys," she said out of habit.

Raye looked back at her two friends. They still hadn't moved.

She closed the doors and quickly went over to shut the windows. If this was a trick she didn't want it to touch Amy and Mina.

"Raye?"

Raye gasped as she spun around.

And then she breathed out in relief. "Setsuna, you scared me," she said breathing hard.

Setsuna smiled. "I apologize."

"Did you find anything?" Raye asked.

"I did," she answered. "I went to the house but there was nobody there. Hotaru is sitting on the couch as if she is in a trance."

"Aren't Serena and Darien there?" Raye asked.

Setsuna smiled. "I didn't want to wake them."

Raye nodded. She wouldn't want to wake them either. "What did you find?"

"You're not sick," she said softly. "I believe Lita knows the way to this woman's place of refuge so I stopped looking for it. Instead I found the future."

"I thought you couldn't see the future," she said confused.

"Since your death, and the death of the prince, the future has been hidden from me. And the reason for that is simple. Without Darien, there is no future. That is, there is no future for earth."

"What?" Raye asked.

"Serena will go on. She'll find a way to re-invent the inner planets and perhaps even start a new civilization, but there will be no hope for earth without him."

"But he's back now," Raye said.

"Yes, and because of that I have been given glimpses of a very odd future."

"So you know what's going to happen?"

"I know what will happen if we don't win," she said. "And I know what happens to you if we don't find out what's wrong with you."

Raye felt her mouth go dry.

"We have to act quickly."

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

Setsuna sighed. "I don't think that this woman knows Serena and Darien can see each other at this moment, but if she finds out she's going to change that."

"She can't, Serena won't survive," Raye said desperately.

"I know, that's why we're leaving them where they are."

"We're not going to tell them?"

"No, we're not," Setsuna said firmly. "The future depends on them staying together."

"So what, we're going to face her ourselves?"

"No, we're going to hide," Setsuna said.

Raye stopped, completely surprised and confused. "What? Hide? What do you mean we're going to hide?"

"We can't play this woman's games anymore. Instead, we're going to create some new rules. How can she affect us if we're not there to affect. All of us will go where she doesn't know we are, and then we'll wait. Eventually she'll get so frustrated that she'll come out herself to get us."

Raye looked at her skeptically.

"Once we get her out in the open, Serena will be able to truly fight her and she'll win. This is all a power play. Out in the open, Serena will win every time. But behind these walls and rules, she's lost. This woman is no fool. She knows that Serena has power greater than hers, but she thinks she's a weak hearted little girl."

"An open battle could be devastating," Raye said.

"A lot of people may die," Setsuna said. "But as long as Darien is standing at the end of it, all will be well."

"Darien?" Raye asked. "He's the only one that has to live?"

Setsuna looked away sadly. "Yes."

There was a silence between them then as the reality of the situation seemed to settle in.

Serena was going to give her life for Darien.

Raye felt fear grip her at the thought of Serena dying. She knew that Serena would fight to the end, but that might not be enough. And the worst part was that Raye knew, as well as Setsuna, that Serena would give her life to save Darien without a second thought. She would die gladly so that he might live.

* * *

Serena felt warm. For the first time in over three years, she truly felt warm and safe. Part of her wanted to open her eyes, but she wanted to revel in this feeling, afraid that it was part of a dream and she would never get it back. But ever so slowly, she became conscious again and was aware of the world around her.

Ever so slowly, she opened her eyes.

Her heart stopped beating and she held her breath.

There he was.

It was like time itself was frozen around her and all she could do was stare at him. His beautiful black hair hung stubbornly in his eyes and his dark eyelashes lay gracefully on his pale skin. He hadn't always been that pale. She traced the long strong line of his jaw with her eyes, remembering everything about his features. He looked so peaceful in this moment, asleep next to her. She could smell him there, the same gentle roses and clear air.

She felt tears start to fall down her cheeks, but fought not to make a sound.

Slowly she reached out, trembling in fear. What if he disappeared?

The skin of his cheek was warm beneath her fingertips. He was real. She couldn't help but let out a small sob. She softly brushed the hair from his eyes, like she had done so many times before. It was so familiar. She ached for him, and yet she was still afraid to move closer to him. This could all still be a dream.

He opened his eyes slowly, revealing the hazy blue of half consciousness.

And they looked at each other.

Darien stayed perfectly still.

"I think this isn't a dream," she whispered breathlessly.

Darien reached out and pulled her to him both gently and urgently. And then he kissed her.

As soon as Serena felt him kiss her, she knew she'd never be able to stop crying again. How many times had she dreamed of this? How many times had she re-lived the kisses they had shared? She was almost desperate to get closer to him. She kissed him back, more and more passionately. She pressed her whole body into his, wanting to feel him all around her. And he seemed happy to comply.

They kissed urgently, desperately. Everything about this moment seemed temporary, and yet neither of them wanted to admit it. All they could feel was their hands on each other. Maybe as long as they touched each other, the moment would never end.

But it was almost painful. Serena felt him next to her, touching her, but it wasn't enough. So she cried.

"It's okay," Darien said softly to her. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

His voice hugged her tightly, and she cried harder.

"Serena, please..." he said in a sob. "Look at me."

Her eyes were so full of tears she could hardly see him anymore, and that caused her to panic and pull him tightly to her.

All he could to was hold her as she cried. He felt her pain wash through him as she tried to make sense of it all, to make herself believe that this was real.

Slowly, her tears started to subside, but not go away.

He waited. He waited until her body has stopped shaking before her pulled away ever so slightly to look down at her.

"I can't lose you again," Serena said in a whisper.

"You could never lose me," he said kissing her gently. "No matter what happens, I'm always right here."

His lips were soft on hers, not urgent like they had been before. She kissed him back, trying not to tremble. And then a different feeling seemed to wash over her. At first she tried to ignore it, thinking this wasn't the time. But this might be the only time. What if she never saw him again?

So she kissed him more passionately.

Serena found herself suddenly aware of how close he was to her. Her hard chest pressed against hers, and she had her leg wrapped around his side. His hands slid smoothly over her skin, and she suddenly felt hot wherever he touched her. Her tears were gone as she focused in on the moment. She focused on the heat emanating from his body and his taste as he kissed her.

And then he seemed to realize what she wanted.

In one swift motion he was on top of her.

Serena moaned when he started to kiss down her neck. His hot breath seemed to spread right across her. She pulled at his shirt, almost urgently, and he lifted slightly so that she could pull it over his head, exposing his smooth chest. She ran her hands up and down his newly found skin, and it was hot to the touch. She heard his breathing turn ragged and his movements more deliberate.

He lifted her off the bed as he took her shirt off, and then she lifted her hips for him so he could easily get rid of her pants.

He kissed her all over. He tasted her skin, licking and sucking her gently, creating waves of sensation that coursed through her. She felt desire completely overtake her, and she wanted him. The only thing in her mind was how badly she wanted him. She undid his pants quickly, breathing hard as he continued kissing her. He pulled her panties off quickly, and the firmly massaged her thighs. His hands were driving her crazy. He broke away only for a second to kick off his pants, and then his whole body was pressed against hers.

He kissed her hard. Desire coursed through both of them. Her whole body was one fire. He had completely taken control of the situation and Serena pushed hard to make him move faster.

Serena gasped when he slid swiftly into her. His long, hard length pulsed inside of her and he groaned.

It was not the soft and passionate, it was full of desperation and desire. He moved in and out of her with long hard thrust, and she pulled him to her as she felt the pleasure swirl and build within her. Each wave of heat that he pushed through her made her moan and his hands held her firmly so that each thrust sent him deep into her. She nearly screamed out when the pleasure overwhelmed her. Her muscles clenched around him and ripples of pleasure nearly devoured her. She was only barely conscious of his own groans as he came in her.

They were left shuddering in each others arm, breathless and sweaty. Darien looked at her with eyes still filled with desire as he pulled out of her. For a long moment they didn't say anything, just pulsed with the aftermath of what had just happened between them.

She looked at him, with this wide beautiful blue eyes. "I don't think this is a dream," she said softly.

Darien couldn't help it, he laughed. She was so beautiful.

She smiled gently at him, and he'd never thought she looked so beautiful than in this moment.

* * *

End of chapter Nine! More coming soon! Please review!


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